I have never visted the dentist Aliyu: … ?

Analyze the question

Umar says: "I have never visited the dentist." Aliyu's reply must show that he is in the same situation. This is a test of agreement in a negative statement, where English uses neither/nor + auxiliary verb + subject.

Explain the concept

To agree with a negative statement, we use this pattern:

• Neither/Nor + auxiliary verb + subject
• Example: "I don't like rice." → "Neither do I."
• Example: "She hasn't come." → "Neither has he."

When "neither" or "nor" starts the clause, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject (this is called inversion). The verb used in the reply matches the tense of the original statement. Here the original uses the present perfect ("have visited"), so the reply uses have.

Solution: checking each option

• A. "neither myself": Wrong. There is no auxiliary verb, and "myself" is a reflexive pronoun that cannot be used as a subject here.
• B. "I myself haven't": Grammatically possible, but it doesn't express agreement. It sounds awkward and emphatic, and it doesn't follow the standard response pattern.
• C. "neither have I": Correct. It follows the pattern neither + auxiliary (have) + subject (I), and it matches the present perfect tense of Umar's statement.
• D. "I also never": Wrong. It is incomplete, and "also" doesn't go with the negative "never" in this way.

Answer: Aliyu says, "Neither have I." This means "I have never visited the dentist either."

Exam tip: When you see a negative statement followed by a gap, look for neither/nor + auxiliary + subject. For positive statements, use so + auxiliary + subject (e.g., "I have been there." → "So have I."). Always match the auxiliary to the tense of the original sentence.