Correct use of the word “none”.

Max Nelson - Sep 17, 2015

 

Max's Grammar

Max is passionate about helping people to write and speak the English language utilizing proper grammar. As a former English teacher, Max likes to explain to people the proper usage of often misused words, such as “I”, and “me”.

“I” is the doer of the action. “I” cannot be the receiver of the action. Example – I love cherries, I give you my word, I went to the movies.

“Me” is the receiver of the action. The action is done to it. Example – give the money to me. Come visit me.

When used in combination, people often have difficulty. Example – thank you for giving such a beautiful gift to Jim and me (not Jim and I). Jim and I gave a gift to my parents.

When in doubt, break the sentence apart. Example – thank you for giving such a beautiful gift to Jim. Thank you for giving such a beautiful gift to me. Never say thank you for giving such beautiful gift to Jim and I.

 
 

Correct use of the word “none”.

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None is always singular. None means “not one”. It is used in conjunction with “is”.

It is incorrect to use none with “are”.

Example – a) None of his injuries is life threatening. (correct)

                  b) None of his injuries are life threatening. (incorrect)

 

Correct use of the word “only”.

The word “only” refers to “one”. However it is not uncommon to find the word “only” misused.

Example – a) I only have 10 minutes to complete the task. (incorrect)

A close examination shows that the speaker or writer is saying that he or she is the only person who has 10 minutes to complete the task. What the person means to say is - I have only 10 minutes to complete the task. (correct)

Example – b) I only eat vegetables; I do not eat meat. (incorrect)

The person does not mean to imply that he or she is the only person in the world who eats vegetables and no meat.

 I eat only vegetables; I do not eat meat. (correct)