None Can Take a Plural Verb, Whatever You Were Told
None means not one or not any. The rule that it must be singular was invented in the 1700s.
None means not one, not any, or no amount. A familiar rule insists it is always singular because it means *not one*. That rule was invented by eighteenth-century grammarians and has never matched usage: *none* has taken plural verbs since Old English, and writers from the King James Bible onward use both. *None of them were ready* is perfectly standard. The word is Old English *nan*, a contraction of *ne an*, not one, which also gives *no* before consonants.
- Not any. *None of them came.*
- Not one. *None is perfect.*
- No part. *None of it.*
- Nothing. *None at all.*
- Old English — *ne an*, not one. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pronoun | none | None came. |
| Adverb | none | None the wiser. |
| Related | no | No one. |
| Related | nothing | Nothing. |
| Old English | nan | None. |
- None of them were ready.Plural.
- None of it matters.Singular.
- He was none the wiser.Adverb.
Invented grammar rules
- None must be singular — never matched real usage
- Never split an infinitive — modelled on Latin, which cannot
- Never end a sentence with a preposition — same origin
- Never begin with And or But — writers always have
- These are style choices, not grammar
Old English *nan*, from *ne*, not, plus *an*, one.
Is none always singular?
No. It has taken plural verbs since Old English. The singular-only rule was invented in the 1700s.
What does none literally mean?
Not one, from Old English ne an. The same elements give us no before a consonant.