whisp Posted November 7, 2019 Report Share Posted November 7, 2019 When appropriate, the "People" tab displays, "None of the members you are following are currently online". The subject, "None", is singular, so it should read, "None of the members you are following is currently online". However, this noun is almost always treated as plural these days, so some might argue that the grammar rules should catch up to contemporary usage. I told you it was a nit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FelicityR Posted November 7, 2019 Report Share Posted November 7, 2019 'None' is a pronoun. I'm nitpicking too :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerriman Posted November 7, 2019 Report Share Posted November 7, 2019 The subject, "None", is singular, so..This is not true; none can be both singular, and plural. It's a common grammar myth that it can only be singular. It can mean "not any" (plural), or "not one" (singular). Even the King James Bible has an example with the plural form (it's not a contemporary thing); so good luck correcting that ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barmar Posted November 8, 2019 Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 Treating it as singular in this sentence sounds wrong to my ears, I'm with smerriman that "none" can go both ways. https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/1425/none-as-plural-indefinite-pronoun My bridge-related grammar nit involves a popular bridge round timer application for Windows, which we use at our club (and at least one other club in the Boston area also uses). It has an announcement like "Do not start any new boards, there's 3 minutes to go in the round." That one annoys me, and I'm not the only one who has noticed it. It should be "there are 3 minutes to go in the round." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miamijd Posted November 8, 2019 Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 Smerriman is quite right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pescetom Posted November 9, 2019 Report Share Posted November 9, 2019 My bridge-related grammar nit involves a popular bridge round timer application for Windows, which we use at our club (and at least one other club in the Boston area also uses). It has an announcement like "Do not start any new boards, there's 3 minutes to go in the round." That one annoys me, and I'm not the only one who has noticed it. It should be "there are 3 minutes to go in the round." It should be "Do not start another board", come to that (one can't start multiple boards or an old board). I dislike BBO's own "You have been disconnected, and are no longer playing in this tournament", and not just because of the sad situation it describes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whisp Posted January 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 I might have an easier time editing the bible than convincing my English teacher about the duality. Thanks for the replies. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barmar Posted January 10, 2020 Report Share Posted January 10, 2020 It should be "Do not start another board", come to that (one can't start multiple boards or an old board).It's talking to the whole room, so if multiple tables each start a new board, multiple boards are started. And if "new" is redundant, so is "another". These words are used more for emphasis than distinguishing old vs. new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwnn Posted January 10, 2020 Report Share Posted January 10, 2020 None of us are free.None of us are free.None of us are free, one of us are chained.None of us are free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullve Posted January 10, 2020 Report Share Posted January 10, 2020 I dislike BBO's own "You have been disconnected, and are no longer playing in this tournament"Why? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pescetom Posted January 11, 2020 Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 Why? :) Because I find it illogical and paradoxical and reticent.Illogical, in that if I am reading it I clearly have not been disconnected :)Paradoxical in that there is no "this" tournament if I am clearly no longer in one.Reticent because it gives no explanation of why."You have been booted from the tournament you were playing, due to apparent inaction" might be appropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwnn Posted January 11, 2020 Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 Why? :)There should be no comma there. The second clause has no subject, and therefore it is not a main clause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilowsky Posted January 14, 2020 Report Share Posted January 14, 2020 You guys get paid to do this? Or should that be "Do you guys get paid to do this?" "wait, maybe: "Shouldn't you guys get back to work?" Oh wait - sorry Felicity is 'Guys' gendender neutral - oops there's an eros in my poof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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