neither plus his or their?

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English Grammar Tests, Elementary Level

ESL/EFL Test #249 "Pronoun Practice (5)", question 4

Neither of the boys brought ......... kite to the beach.

(a) her
(b) his
(c) he
(d) their

English Grammar Tests, Elementary Level

ESL/EFL Test #249 "Pronoun Practice (5)", answer 4

Neither of the boys brought his kite to the beach.

Correct answer: (b) his

Your answer was: incorrect
Neither of the boys brought their kite to the beach.
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this sentence forced me to ask......it is supposed to talk about them.....I mean the boys..... thanks in advance again

[Alan]

Hi,

Using 'his' is logical since 'neither' indicates not one or the other and that shows singularity. This is in contrast to: Both boys brought their kites ...

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Beeesneees]

"The boys brought their kite to the beach" - the boys share a kite.
"The boys brought their kites to the beach" - there is more than one boy and they all brought their own kites.
but
"Neither of the boys brought his kite to the beach" - There are exactly two boys. They each have a kite (but they did not bring the kites).

The word 'neither' moderated the rest of the sentence. It means that each boy has to be treated individually (singular) rather than together (plural).
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Cheers m' dears!

[Dashrath.1985]

thanks for your valuable suggestion
i thought the ans is their .

[Vombat]

Hello, everybody. I still have a question as for this sentence. The matter is that the book 'Grammarway 4' by Jenny Dooley and Virginia Evans says, 'Neither' refers to two people, things or groups. 'Neither of + plural noun phrase' can be followed by either a singular or plural verb, eg. Neither of the films has/have won an award' (page 173).
I'm totally confused now.

[Kati Svaby]

Hello,

I was inattentive and wrote their. It's logical after "neither of the boys" can came singular if I said: one of the boys, etc. These are similar.

Thanks:
Kati Svaby
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We always deceive ourselves twice about the people we love - first to their advantage, then to their disadvantage.