Singular or Plural Verb with None

Expert replies

musingmario: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 12:34 am

by musingmario » Fri Dec 05, 2014 6:52 am

Manhattan Sentence Correction Guide (2007 edition) says this in Chapter 2:

"
THE SANAM PRONOUNS: Some, Any, None, All, Most
How can you tell if these pronouns are singular or plural? Look at the 'of' construction that usually follows the pronoun.
...
Some of the money WAS stolen from my wallet. (money is singular)
Some of the documents WERE stolen from the bank. (documents is plural)
"

HOWEVER, Kaplan GMAT 800 (Ninth Edition) starts the Sentence Correction chapter with this example:

"As of this morning, none of my friends has been able to solve the puzzle contained in the last week's newspaper."

And the correct answer for this question is (A), meaning the original sentence is correct.

Can someone please explain this contradiction?

Like this post

Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Fri Dec 05, 2014 6:52 am

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:39 am

Hi musingmario,

The pronoun "none" can be interpreted in a two different ways: it could mean "not one" (singular), but it can also mean "not any" (plural). The GMAT rarely builds an SC around just one grammar rule (and certainly not around one that is susceptible to "bias" on the part of the reader). Most SCs are based on 2-4 grammar rules (and you don't even need to know all of the rules to get to the correct answer).

In the example that you listed, there isn't anything inherently incorrect about answer A, but if you had listed ALL 5 answer choices, it might have been easier to categorically eliminate the other 4 answers (for other reasons).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

Like this post

GMATGuruNY: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 15539; Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pmFollowed by: 1906 members; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 13060 times; GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Sat Dec 06, 2014 4:42 am

The GMAT will not test whether none should be singular or plural.

To old-school grammarians, none is a contraction of the words not one:
None of the students is eating the spinach = Not one of the students is eating the spinach.

But new-school grammarians claim that none may serve as a substitute for not any:
None of her friends are coming to the party = Not any of her friends are coming to the party.

Since there is debate, this issue will not be tested.

Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.

As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.

For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3

Like this post

Mo2men: Legendary Member; Posts: 712; Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 4:39 amFollowed by: 5 members; Thanked: 14 times

by Mo2men » Sat Dec 29, 2018 8:35 am

GMATGuruNY wrote:The GMAT will not test whether none should be singular or plural.

To old-school grammarians, none is a contraction of the words not one:
None of the students is eating the spinach = Not one of the students is eating the spinach.

But new-school grammarians claim that none may serve as a substitute for not any:
None of her friends are coming to the party = Not any of her friends are coming to the party.

Since there is debate, this issue will not be tested.

Dear GMATGuru,

Is the following sentence correct?

Any cash is accepted

Any members of the team are accepted in the club. ......I want to convey that numbers of members could join. or could 'any' be used with plural??

Thanks

Like this post

GMATGuruNY: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 15539; Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pmFollowed by: 1906 members; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 13060 times; GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Mon Dec 31, 2018 10:56 am

Mo2men wrote:Dear GMATGuru,

Is the following sentence correct?

Any cash is accepted

Any members of the team are accepted in the club. ......I want to convey that numbers of members could join. or could 'any' be used with plural??

Thanks

Any BAG taken on the subway IS subject to search by the police.
Any BAGS taken on the subway ARE subject to search by the police.
In each of these sentences, any is a MODIFIER describing the subject in blue.
In the first sentence, the verb (is) is SINGULAR to match the singular subject in blue.
In the second sentence, the verb (are) is PLURAL to match the plural subject in blue.
any can serve to modify a singular or plural noun.

Like this post

Post new topic Locked

• Page 1 of 1

GMAT Course Reviews

563 reviews

1168 reviews

431 reviews

359 reviews

147 reviews

5/5

5 Star (563 Reviews)

"Target Test Prep is the closest to the official version of the GMAT exam, about 99% accuracy in terms of the quality and quantity of information. The course has excellently created singular sets of focused lessons and tests for every possible topic that one could come across in the official GMAT exam."

"The TTP course maximizes the efficiency of the time you spend studying. It will take time and effort but I could almost guarantee that if you complete the course exactly as it is laid out you will get an amazing score. They also have a very responsive team willing to help with any questions you might have."

"TTP has two things that I think no other test prep company offers: A teaching approach that reinforces understanding and an attitude that will give you the mental preparedness needed to succeed on the test. TTP gives you a deep understanding of the concept you need to know while teaching you how to think."

Write a Review