NONE: Singular or plural?

(cheery music)

Hello, here we are today

at the beach.

We're here to talk about whether

none is singular or plural.

None was originally a contraction of no one.

Many generations learned that none is singular,

but modern usage has loosened up,

and none is more often plural than it is singular.

We use it as a singular only when

it has the specific meaning

not a single, solitary one.

For example, we have a review of a photography exhibit,

and it included the sentence

about the photographs in the exhibit:

None are boring.

Now, that's not exactly high praise,

but somebody suggested that, perhaps,

it should be: None is boring.

Meaning, not a single, solitary one

of these photographs is boring.

And it could read that way,

but I'm going to stick with how we ran it

in the New Yorker: None are boring.

So, all you sticklers of the old school

are just going to have to bear it,

grind your teeth, and we will put up

with your use of singular none.

Okay, deal? Thanks!

Coming to you next time,

from this same lovely beach, on a different topic.

Enjoy the summer.