Learn English – Do we use a plural or singular verb with “respectively”

subject-verb-agreement

I need to know whether we should use singular or plural verb when we use "respectively".

Example:

  1. Bob and Alice has BMW and Lexus car, respectively.
  2. Bob and Alice have BMW and Lexus car, respectively.

Question: Which one of the above sentences is correct ?

Best Answer

The second, as the subject "Bob and Alice" is plural. The adverb doesn't change that.

It would, of course be possible to rephrase "Bob drives a BMW and Alice (drives) a Lexus". The repeated verb can be dropped.

The adverb "respectively" is sometimes misused, even where it is grammatically correct. Grammarist.com gives examples of good and bad use of "respective".

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