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The tense of the verb is off. " Strictly speaking, "none" is singular in that sentence. " This pretty much delineates the fault line between prescriptive and descriptive grammar.
- The tense of the verb is off.
- " Strictly speaking, "none" is singular in that sentence.
- " This pretty much delineates the fault line between prescriptive and descriptive grammar.
- " Also, "zero" is plural, for crying out loud.
- Make an unqualified "none" singular in grammar tests and scholarly works, and plural the rest of the time.
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The tense of the verb is off. I would expect "None of the students were withdrawn last week."
Strictly speaking, "none" is singular in that sentence. Strict grammar makes that "None of the students was withdrawn last week." However, practically everybody naturally construes "none" as plural there, at least in some measure by attraction to the plural noun just before the ver
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