The noun can be singular, plural or an uncountable noun. Although some sources say none is always singular, the modern consensus is that none can be singular or plural depending on your meaning. When none is the subject, the verb is either singular or plural depending on what it is referring to. No, none and none of english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. Singular phenomenon criterion plural phenomena criteria quick and dirty tip. A quick activity for students to practice identifying singular and plural nouns. The singular form is used in a formal style in british english. This posting and the three that follow appeared on the grammar exchange newsgroup earlier this year.
The confusion arises because the word none can mean either not one which is singular or not any which is plural. Thats because the none refers to not any, as in not any of us which is a plural entity. Phenomenon comes to english from greek through latinkind of like criterion, which came directly from greek. Is the indefinite pronoun none followed by a singular or. The pronoun she is singular, a third person singular pronoun, used as a subject. The use of his or her sometimes sounds slightly formal and it is more common to use the plural pronoun their each student has been given their own email address. None of us are getting it right if none is used as not any then it means just one, so it would be singular. No, none and none of english grammar today cambridge.
The noun pair can be followed by a singular or plural verb. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Here, none is singular because it comes before the mass noun chaos. When you use none of with an uncountable noun, the verb is in the singular none of the work was done. But, according to mignon fogarty grammar girl, none can be singular as in none of the students was wrong or plural. If you know that list is the subject, then you will choose is for the verb. None of the consultants agree on the same approach. Neither of the attorneys waswere available for comment. In grammar, there is a concept called notional agreement or notional concord.
When none means roughly not one or no single one, its followed by a singular verb. The indefinite articles a and an are used to modify singular nouns. The truth is that none can be singular or plural, but many people believe. When all is used with a plural noun, it means every, and the verb agrees all the countries were represented at the games when all is used with a singular noun, with or without of, it means entire and takes a singular verb all the country was in mourning to use your examples, you could say all the books are expensive and all the book is in latin which makes sense, but isnt as good. It is a mistake to suppose that the pronoun none is singular only and must at all costs be followed by singular verbs or pronouns. The use of any in front of a plural noun talks about all things or people of a particular type. We can use all with a plural noun to make a generalization about an entire group of something. Most nouns take s at the end of their singular forms.
Is it correct to use the plural noun in the following sentence if you have any problems please let me know, to mean any problems, whether. The use of any in front of a singular noun talks about each thing or person of a particular type. The singular is always used when pair refers to a set considered as a single entity. Each vs every usage and differences english grammar lesson duration.
When none means roughly not any or your sentence has a sense of plurality, none. However, be aware that treating none as plural might irk some of your readers as many people believe none can only be singular. However, according to merriamwebsters dictionary of english usage. Mignon fogarty is grammar girl and the founder of quick and dirty tips. She had no affectedness anywhere, but was as natural as are all the girls of her generation the flat roof in the girls toilet has fallen in so when it rains, it is flooded she blushed, that deep, mottled raspberry stain fairskinned girls show, and i left her alone two waiters come running, but the girls are deep into battle now, laughing raucously as the entire restaurant turns to look. 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. A plural noun is a word for two or more persons, places, or things. In the example you gave it should be none of us need a car. Subjectverb agreement grammar rules the blue book of. If none is used as not one then what youre actually saying is many because one is sigular therefore the opposite of one being not one would be plural. A myth has emerged that none always requires a singular verb. With words that indicate portionssome, all, none, percent, fraction, part, majority, remainder, and so forth look at the noun in your of phrase object of the preposition to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If it is strictly a singular word, we need one for the plural, maybe a contraction of not and any, something like nany. According to merriam websters dictionary of english usage.
For example, one might say the salad bar had a variety of fruits. When each is used after a plural subject, it has a. Usually when you speak of fruit as a countable noun, you say a piece of fruit, two pieces of fruit, etc. It also takes a singular verb when its followed by a mass noun, like water. The indefinite pronoun none requires some separate discussion. This is the safest option, and, lets face it, it sounds more highbrow. The grammar girl podcast has also won best education podcast multiple times in the podcast awards, and mignon is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame. For example, i searched for none of the nn2 vv0 to find examples where none refers to something in plural and then takes a plural verb. Remember that phenomenon is singular by noting that the non at the end sounds like one. As we mentioned in our response to dimitri dated september 14, 2011, the ap stylebooks entry says, none it usually means no single one. Number the word number is singular when it refers to an arithmetical value expressed by a word or symbol. None, the nifty english word that means not one or not any, can be both singular and plural with mass nouns look at this sentence. Grammar girl one is singular and the other is plural.
Enjoy this freebie and dont forget to leave a comment. Do we use a plural or a singular verb after none of the. Singular means there is one, plural means there is more than one. A plural verb is used when the members are considered as i. It is a mistake to suppose that the pronoun none is singular only and must. None of the ballplayers were on the team bus after the game. Certain indefinite pronouns require a modifying phrase or referent to make their plurality clear. No one, nobody, nothing, nowhere english grammar today. No one, nobody, nothing, nowhere english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. I nearly forgot about this zombie rule in english until this question cropped up. The indefinite pronoun none can be singular or plural. Plural and none, english grammar, advanced english grammar. You are right in using none with a singular verb, regardless of what follows of, for a formal style, according to michael swan in practical english usage, second edition oxford university press, 1995.
This indefinite pronoun may take either a singular or a plural verb. Not one of the attorneys was available for comment. None can be a singular pronoun if its referring to not one or no part, but it also can be plural when referring to not any. The word none can be either singular or plural, but its more likely to be plural.
Grammar girl addressed this word recently, stating. Either and neither, singular or plural the editors blog. Some believe it can only be singular in construction, but that is not true. The collective noun is singular when it denotes one undivided whole, but when it refers to a number of different individuals it becomes a plural noun and it is called a noun of multitude. Without regard to what the verb is, the choice of singular or plural verb with none depends primarily on what you are talking about and how the sentence is constructed. When used in this sense, it always takes singular verbs and pronouns. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. Also, it is interesting that zero, as an attributive, is plural. If that noun is plural, it is up to the writer and the sense of the sentence to determine whether none takes a singular or a plural verb.
Apple is a singular item, so youd use the singular verb was. Use a plural verb only if the sense is no two or no amount. The plural form fruits is not used as often and it generally refers to two or more different kinds of fruit. You can find many examples in the corpus of contemporary american english. Learn english with lets talk free english lessons recommended for you 11. A singular noun is a word for one person, place, or thing. There are around 200 collective nouns in the english language 1. Singular or plural the word none can take the singular or the plural. However, in case of a plural noun, vegetables, you can use either a plural verb or a singular verb as follows. When you use none of with a plural noun or pronoun, or a singular noun referring to a group of people or things, you can use either a singular or a plural verb.
Dont pay any attention to the myth that none always requires a singular verb. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates tpts content guidelines. The most important thing to realize is that there are no hard and fast rules here, only trends. A singular subject she, bill, car takes a singular verb is, goes, shines, whereas a plural subject takes a plural verb. A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb. Each is used in front of a singular noun and is followed by a singular verb each student has been given his or her own email address. A good rule of thumb is to treat most indefinite pronouns as singular and try to remember the few exceptions. Singular and plural nouns flip book by iteach 2nd tpt. None can be singular or plural yet many people believe it can only be singular. The neuter behaves like the masculine in the singular and the feminine in the plural. Seeing that nouns are items, there can be one or more and this means that nouns are either singular or plural. The number is likely to rise the letter is an a, but the number is hard to determine number of the word number is not always a common noun.
Mignon fogarty is the founder of the quick and dirty tips network and creator of grammar girl, which has been named one of writers digests 101 best websites for writers multiple times. But i hear none used in the plural so ofteneven by fine writersthat sometimes i wonder. Plural nouns can take either a definite article or no article at all. Sometimes either a singular or a plural verb will work. The ap stylebook, the chicago manual of style, garners modern english. Sometimes they take a singular verb, but other times they take a plural verb. When using a plural noun, these two articles are unnecessary. Note that these pronouns can be singular or plural. The notion that it is singular only is a myth of unknown origin that appears to have arisen in the 19th century.
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