This video is the last in this series about quantifiers – those words that show us an amount of something. Today, we look at no, none, and none of – the negatives.
No
No is a determiner – a word that identifies a noun in more detail. Use no before countable and uncountable nouns.
Examples:
– There is no milk.
– We have no problems.
– There is no information available.
Great, that’s easy. You all probably knew that one already!
None
None is a demonstrative pronoun. We use it to say not one or not any and to replace both countable and uncountable nouns.
Examples:
– My sister has two children, but my brother has none.
– You have taken all the juice, so now there is none.
None has replaced no children.
None replaces no juice.
None can be an object, like in the examples above, or it can be a subject.
Example: (none as a subject).
– I was waiting for a bus this morning. None came so I had to call a taxi.
To use it as a subject you will need to put a sentence before it that explains the situation. I was waiting for a bus this morning. We replace not one bus with none.
You need to be careful with none, because if you are talking about people and you haven’t used a noun already to refer to them, then you need to use an indefinite pronoun – no one or nobody.
Examples:
She had a party but none came. ✘
That should be no one or nobody. We are not replacing a noun. Instead, we could say:
– She invited many people to the party, but none came. ✓
It would be awkward to say, “She invited many people to the party, but no people came.” So we replace no people with none.
None of
None does not go directly before a noun. If we want to use none with a noun, the form is None of + the + noun
Example:
– None of the children are going to school.
None of is a determiner and refers to a group of something – not one or not any of this whole group. We can also use none of with:
– a pronoun (us, them, it, you)
– the relative pronouns which, whom, whose
– a possessive (my, his, her, your, our, their)
– a demonstrative (this, that, those and these)
None of + pronoun
These will normally be plural pronouns because we are talking about a group.
Examples:
– None of us want to experience another pandemic.
– None of them will succeed in business.
– There has been a lot of trouble lately, but none of it is your fault.
None of + relative pronoun
Examples:
– He owns three cars, none of which is economical.
– The play has ten actors, none of whom is believable.
– I have 4 sisters, none of whose children attend dance classes.
None of + possessive
Examples:
– None of my friends are going to the party.
– None of our pets are well behaved.
None of + demonstrative
Examples:
– None of that advice is helpful.
– None of those shirts belong to me.
If you are talking about two countable things you need to use neither of not none of.
Example:
– Neither of us will be at the meeting.
Remember to only use none of if there is a group of more than two.
So, why have I used singular verbs in some examples and plural verbs in others? If you are talking about uncountable nouns, like information or advice, then use a singular verb. But with countable nouns, it is possible to use either singular or plural verbs. Using the singular gives a sense of formality.
Example of Formal use:
– None of us is a lawyer.
Example of Informal use:
– None of us are lawyers.
In informal conversations, it is fine to use either one. Don’t overthink it, just use the one that sounds better to you and take into account the formality of the situation.
If you are writing an academic text or article or speaking in an English exam, then use the singular. If you are casually talking with friends, use either one.
