Gee, Bert, we're all so heartbroken that you're quitting again! We didn't even realize you had been gone!

But, Elvira, in the better circles, none is always singular. <BR>You'll never be real member of the PAC unless you agree to that!

Perhaps we need to develop specialty subdivisions within the PAC - Nerdy PAs, for example, or Cynical PAs, or PAs who sneer at newbies, or Political PAs...my gosh, we all might qualify in more than one field of pomposity! In the words of the great Sitting American President (SAP) - "Make the Pie Higher!"

none = not one (contraction). Substituting not one for none gives you the sense. Not one are...????

Elvira, <BR>why didn't you just stick to the southwestern lingo and say "...t'aint none of 'em legal"? <BR> <BR>None is zero, nothing. How can nothing be singular, let alone plural? All I got from this thread, was alot a nothin'. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Argue with Merriam-Webster; anyway, it's the Canadians who use "none" incorrectly.

I teach assistant Canadians to use illegal grammar.

...and none too soon, Groucho!

I think that we all ought to ask Yogi (Berra) to give us authoritative answers to grammatical questions

I think Elvira is right on this one. I believe that in more formal grammar none is singular, but it can also be used in a less formal sense in the plural. Ask yourself which one actually sounds better. Sure, "none is" sounds right, but "none of them is" really doesn't, regardless of its technical correctness. However, if you change that to "not one of them," it sounds just right to use the singular.

Guess it depends on what part of the country you are from. "None of them is" sounds right to me. Maybe it also has something to do with what your definition of "is" is.

What? Canadians use "none" incorrectly? None of the Canadians I know uses - er, use - er - ... oh, never mind.

As someone whose business revolves around grammar, let me quote from H.W. Fowler's "Modern English Usage." (Fowler's is widely considered to be an authority on usage.) <BR> <BR>"It is a mistake to suppose that the pronoun (none) is singular only and must at all costs be followed by singular verbs, etc.; the OECD explicityly states that plural construction is commoner." <BR> <BR>Singular usually sounds better to my ear, but euphonics are only one aspect of language.

As someone whose business revolves around grammar, let me quote from H.W. Fowler's "Modern English Usage." (Fowler's is widely considered to be an authority on usage.) <BR> <BR>"It is a mistake to suppose that the pronoun (none) is singular only and must at all costs be followed by singular verbs, etc.; the OECD explicitly states that plural construction is commoner." <BR> <BR>Singular usually sounds better to my ear, but euphonics are only one aspect of language.