Sometimes nouns take strange forms and can make us believe that they are plural if they are really singular and vice versa. For more help, see the section on plural forms of names and the section on collective names. Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are considered plural (and require plural verbs) unless they are preceded by the pair of sentences (in which case, the pair of words becomes the subject). Use a singular verb without if what you`re referring to is singular (or if you want to emphasize its uniformity): Can you hear how none of the rumors*about me or any of the melted*snow* sounded wrong? We just don`t say it in English (that`s what the asterisk indicates). I am always wary of the word “none.” Whenever it is the subject of a clause, I pay particular attention to the verb. Some indefinite pronouns like all, others are singular or plural, depending on what they refer to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?) Be careful when choosing a verb that accompanies such pronouns. You are right that “none” means “not one” or “not none”. If the meaning is “not just any, use a plural verb. Your example: None of us are going to dance. We think, “None of us are going to dance.” Thank you for writing.
I tend to agree with most of what Jane says. However, there is a problem with the example of “fraction” which is probably due to the fact that “a fraction of the cost” seems grammatically incorrect at first glance. One would not refer to a fraction of a set of things (“a fraction of the cost” is like a fraction of people or a fraction of motor vehicles. We would use “fraction” in reference to a singular entity. Therefore, it would be more correct to say “a fraction of the cost”. Once this grammatical inconsistency is resolved, you can apply the word “none” in its singular sense: “A fraction of the cost was . etc.” In this sentence, the subject means nothing and nothing, so the plural verblaut is a safe choice. Too bad we can`t say the same for one of these dubious restaurants.
Contrary to popular belief, “none” can be plural: “The idea that it is only singular is a myth,” according to Merriam-Webster`s Dictionary of English Usage. I`m sorry to hear that the SAT test service considers “none” to be a singular word. No more stultification of the tongue. In these constructions (called expletive constructions), the subject follows the verb, but always determines the number of the verb. Neither pronouns are singular and require singular verbs, although in a sense they seem to refer to two things. Note: Apparently, the SAT test service does not consider any word as a single word. According to Merriam Webster`s Dictionary of English Usage: “Clearly, no one has been and still is both singular and plural since Old English. The idea that it is only singular is a myth of unknown origin that seems to have emerged in the 19th century.
If this sounds singular in context, use a singular verb; If it appears as a plural, use a plural verb. Both are acceptable beyond serious criticism” (p. 664) The choice between “none is” and “none is,” for example, can raise many eyebrows. Compare “None of my friends are as nice as you” with “None of my friends are as nice as you.” Many people will tell you that “none is” is wrong, for reasons we`ll discuss in a moment, and so “none is” is the only right choice. I agree that none of them can be singular or plural, depending on the context. There is only one problem with this view. “None” doesn`t just mean “not one.” According to dictionaries, it also means “not just any”, so it can be plural. “Is”, “are”, “goes”, “goes”, “reads”, “reads” – each of these verb conjugations can be correct, depending on what you mean. I was wondering if you could clarify why in the first case, only “is” is identified as the main verb, while in the second and third examples, “is” AND “missing” and “was” AND “selected” are underlined twice? As we mention in the note below, rule 6 of the subject-verb correspondence, none can be in the singular or plural, depending on the context. If you think no one should clearly mean “not one,” a singular verb should follow. Since a phrase like “Neither my brothers nor my father will sell the house” sounds strange, it`s probably a good idea to put the plural subject closer to the verb whenever possible.
These sentences are examples of subjunctive mood, which refers to the expression of hypothetical, desirable, imaginary, or factually contradictory thought. Subjunctive humor associates singular subjects with what we generally consider plural verbs. The subjunctive is often used in who and if clauses. Also keep in mind that the pronoun u, whether used in the singular or plural, always assumes a plural verb. He is undecided if you have been there. If I were you¦. I would like to be you¦. Who knows if you`ve been there? I`d like to be where you were when you saw it. I would have told you, but you were not there. Thank you for the refresher course on “none are/none are”.
As the post says, if the noun that is the subject of the prepositional sentence that does not change anything is singular, it identifies the number of none. The object name cake is singular; Therefore, he would take the singular verb. We don`t know which authority the “accepted definition” refers to, but as of 2013, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary still recognizes several definitions for none, including “not everyone” and “not one: person.” But even if none refers to a plural noun, the author may prefer to use a singular verb to emphasize the meaning, not just one: yes, we can use a singular or plural verb depending on the context – depending on what sounds better or more clearly. For me, “None” is the same as zero, so for example, the phrase “The United States. Mint produced 4,000 in 1814, while none were made in 1815” just doesn`t seem right to me. Shouldn`t it be called “No weren`t made?” I think “No” suggests the plural in this case, doesn`t it? Use a verb plural without a verb if what it refers to is more than one of what is displayed: Basic principle: singular subjects need singular verbs; Plural subjects need plural verbs. My brother is a nutritionist. My sisters are mathematicians. How can it not be plural if it is a contraction of “person”? Fractional words such as half of, part of, a percentage of, a majority of are sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. (The same is true, of course, when everyone, any, plus, most, and some act as subjects.) Sums and products of mathematical processes are expressed in the singular and require singular verbs. The phrase “more than one” (oddly enough) adopts a singular verb: “More than one student has tried this.” Sometimes the “nothing” that no one transmits refers to more than one thing: “not to a person or thing.” In this situation, no one adopts a plural verb, e.B.
The pizzas we ordered for the party were all eaten. There is nothing left of them. Let`s take a closer look. But what about this idea that it should be plural, at least in cases like “none of your words are carefully chosen”? In grammar, there is a concept called fictitious chord or fictitious harmony. (If you want to get chic, call it Synese.) The fictitious chord is a construct in which the grammatical agreement (between a noun and a verb) is determined not by form but by meaning when a plural verb is used for a technically singular noun. This is COMPLETELY wrong!!!! Whether a verb is singular or plural is determined solely by the subject of that verb. Nothing in a prepositional sentence can affect this. In fact, it`s pretty much the first thing you learn about subject-verb correspondence! If none refers to a singular or innumerable noun such as work, cake or money, you need a singular verb: Same thing here! Just as I was about to leave, I immersed myself in the comments. Really useful. As a result, my sentence was concluded here: “None of them surely define themselves as obedient.” Yes, none of us go to the banquet, but we are really talking about a plural us, so none of us is a reasonable choice. If the noun is plural (minutes), it is up to the author and the meaning of the sentence to determine whether none uses a singular or plural verb. Do you intend to convey the meaning “None of the minutes were wasted” or “None of the minutes were wasted”? If I understand correctly, in examples 2 and 3, “is” and “was” are auxiliary verbs, and “missing” and “selected” are the main verbs.
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