“Not any of the them is remotely interested…” makes sense. That one also has a strong sense of being plural because we’re talking about multiple politicians. In this example from the National Review, the writer is pondering why there are no celebrated mavericks among Democratic lawmakers:ĭemocrats loved John McCain, but none of them want to be him - that is, none are even remotely interested in building their careers on defying party orthodoxy the way he did… “Not any are believed to be…” makes sense. That one clearly has a sense of being plural because we are talking about multiple women.
Deputies said Sunday that they continued to comb through the reports, but added that “as of now, none are believed to be the (woman) in the video.” This one is about a mysterious woman seen in a doorbell surveillance video in Texas.Īuthorities said they have gotten several tips from people who believe the woman matches the description of a missing person in their area. Omarosa Manigault Newman, a veteran of reality TV’s “The Apprentice” and former White House aide, makes a number of shocking claims about President Donald Trump in her new book, but perhaps none is more consequential to the nation than her portrait of him as a man in “mental decline.” “None is” also makes sense when you’re putting the emphasis on one thing among many: They’re talking about abstract things like the good in life and offense, and “none are” would sound ridiculous.īut it’s not just abstract things that take a singular verb. In both those examples, “none is” is the only choice. My employee can be a bit awkward and I wonder if customers misunderstand her and take offense when none is meant. I feel certain she has swallowed up all the good in life and none is left for me.Īn example from the Anchorage Daily News in which a business owner is talking about an otherwise great employee who is having trouble relating to customers. And If you aren’t sure, “none is” is safer.Īn email to the Dear Sugar column in the New York Times, from a woman whose close friend is dating her ex and lying about it: Try to decide whether it means “not one”-in which case it’s singular-or “not any”-in which case it’s plural. In cases like that, you can use the word that sounds more natural to you, or you can also just use the singular verb to play it safe. Sometimes either a singular or a plural verb will work:
Is cannot one word or two grammar girl manual#
The AP Stylebook, the Chicago Manual of Style, Garner’s Modern English Usage, the Oxford English Dictionary, and the American Heritage Dictionary Usage Note all say it’s fine to use a plural verb with the word “none” if it means something like “no two,” “not any,” or “no amount of these things.” In fact, the American Heritage Usage Note gives many examples from important writers and even throws down an example from the King James Bible:Īll the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold. You may be chided by the uninformed when you follow "none" with a plural verb, but don’t be afraid to do so if your sentence calls for it.
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