Chapter 1 Common Grammar Mistakes
33
none, Revelation
Mrs. B's senior English teacher in Aiken, South Carolina, Mrs.
Bobo, taught her that "none" always takes a singular verb.
Well, it's not that simple anymore.
If "none" suggests "none of THEM," it takes a PLURAL verb.
v
NONE of the rundowns DO anything for me.
v
NONE of the reasons ARE important enough to talk about.
On the other hand, if "none" means "none of IT," consider it
SINGULAR.
v
NONE of the bout WAS seen in Pittsburgh.
v
NONE WAS worth broadcasting.
When you are tempted to use "none" and really do mean "not one,"
it's better to say so and use a SINGULAR verb.
v
NOT ONE of Holyfield's fingers WAS broken.
Mrs. B hopes Mrs. Bobo is long gone, as the revelation about "none"
usually taking a plural verb would surely distress her.
Oh, and one last note before you're off: the last book in the Bible is
Revelation, NOT "Revelations."
Amen.
