Dear Readers,
In my blog posted May 2015, I wrote about sentences with missing verbs. This month I am going to focus on other examples of missing words, including verbs. Got time? Read on...
Example: In an episode of the now defunct TV show "Touch," a woman says to a gentleman guest arriving at her house for dinner, "Hey, didn't know you had a car." *Where's the "I" in that statement?
Example: Harvard educated street cop Jamie Reagan, on the TV show "Blue Bloods," was not happy with his partner's less than "by the book" tactics. He tells his partner, "I come from a family of cops. Good cops, great cops. Proud of that." He continues, "Now on, you make a move, you check with me first." *He left out two words that I can see. "I'm proud of that" and "From now on." OK, he's a street cop, but he has a college education from Harvard. He should speak better than that.
Example: I saw this on a billboard asking, "IRS after you?" *Again, two words are missing. It should read, "Is the IRS after you?"
Example: While watching "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," I came across two different instances where people left out words. (1) Head investigator D.B. Russell comes into the office of lab rat Hodges and asks, "You text me?" *Where's the "did" in that question? (2) CSI Nick Stokes is questioning a man who has been living in an underground bunker. Nick tells him he doesn't like the way the man treats trespassers. Trying to find out if there is a link between this guy and a murdered camper, Nick asks, "Is that what happened with Carl Abrams? He trespass?" *Here again, the missing word is "did." As a language investigator, I am curious to find these missing words.
I am quite aware that in spoken language, we often take shortcuts to save time. I just thought I'd point out these obvious ones. Okay with you?
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Take the Direct (Object) Approach
Dear Readers,
If we look back, my April 2013 post, entitled "Me, Myself and I," focused on the incorrect usage of direct object pronouns as subject pronouns. In this month's blog, I will focus on the incorrect usage of the subject pronoun as direct objects. A direct object receives the action from the verb.
Example: John loves Mary. (John is the subject and Mary is the object.)
Just to refresh the memory, here are the correct pronouns:
SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE DIRECT OBJECT OF THE VERB
I me
You you
He, She him, her
We us
You (all) you
They them
Below you will see examples of how people are now using the subject pronoun for the direct object.
Example: Steve Harvey had guest Judge Alex Ferrer on his show. The Judge was talking about his background. "My parents came from Cuba and brought my brothers and I." *This is an educated man, a judge, speaking, and he used the wrong pronoun. Of course it should be "my brothers and me." I hope his judgments are better than his grammar.
Example: In an episode of the TV show "Parenthood," Crosby tells his brother, "Jabbar asked Jasmine and I when we were getting married." *This should be "Jabbar asked Jasmine and me..."
Jabbar is the subject but me is the object.
Example: On the TV show "Vegas," Mr. Savino (owner of the Savoy Casino in Las Vegas) tells an employee, "The Mormon banker actually invited my wife and I to the country club." *Again, it should be, "my wife and me" since they are the object of the verb invited.
Example: I heard this on the sit-com "Anger Management." Charlie, his ex-wife Jen and their daughter Sam are about to leave for Sam's softball game when Charlie says to Jen, "Can you give Sam and I a minute?" *Not only is he using the subject pronoun in the object position, this is actually an indirect object rather than a direct object, but the pronouns for both are the same. [In perfect English, one would say "give a minute to me and Sam."] I am now guessing that TV writers are not taking grammar in school. Such a shame.
This last example is my favorite because it shows how literate the author, Stephen King, is.
In his novel Under the Dome, an orphan, Alice, asks her caretaker Carolyn to bring her to the Town Hall meeting. She asks, "Caro? Will you take Aiden and I ... Aiden and me ... to the big meeting?"
*Thank you, Mr. King. Reading your work is a pleasure.
Well, dear Readers, I hope you gain some insight as well as pleasure from reading my blog.
If we look back, my April 2013 post, entitled "Me, Myself and I," focused on the incorrect usage of direct object pronouns as subject pronouns. In this month's blog, I will focus on the incorrect usage of the subject pronoun as direct objects. A direct object receives the action from the verb.
Example: John loves Mary. (John is the subject and Mary is the object.)
Just to refresh the memory, here are the correct pronouns:
SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE DIRECT OBJECT OF THE VERB
I me
You you
He, She him, her
We us
You (all) you
They them
Below you will see examples of how people are now using the subject pronoun for the direct object.
Example: Steve Harvey had guest Judge Alex Ferrer on his show. The Judge was talking about his background. "My parents came from Cuba and brought my brothers and I." *This is an educated man, a judge, speaking, and he used the wrong pronoun. Of course it should be "my brothers and me." I hope his judgments are better than his grammar.
Example: In an episode of the TV show "Parenthood," Crosby tells his brother, "Jabbar asked Jasmine and I when we were getting married." *This should be "Jabbar asked Jasmine and me..."
Jabbar is the subject but me is the object.
Example: On the TV show "Vegas," Mr. Savino (owner of the Savoy Casino in Las Vegas) tells an employee, "The Mormon banker actually invited my wife and I to the country club." *Again, it should be, "my wife and me" since they are the object of the verb invited.
Example: I heard this on the sit-com "Anger Management." Charlie, his ex-wife Jen and their daughter Sam are about to leave for Sam's softball game when Charlie says to Jen, "Can you give Sam and I a minute?" *Not only is he using the subject pronoun in the object position, this is actually an indirect object rather than a direct object, but the pronouns for both are the same. [In perfect English, one would say "give a minute to me and Sam."] I am now guessing that TV writers are not taking grammar in school. Such a shame.
This last example is my favorite because it shows how literate the author, Stephen King, is.
In his novel Under the Dome, an orphan, Alice, asks her caretaker Carolyn to bring her to the Town Hall meeting. She asks, "Caro? Will you take Aiden and I ... Aiden and me ... to the big meeting?"
*Thank you, Mr. King. Reading your work is a pleasure.
Well, dear Readers, I hope you gain some insight as well as pleasure from reading my blog.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
To Have and Have Not
Dear Readers,
Have you ever noticed that sometimes in speech or in print, the helping verb "have" has been either omitted or misspelled? What do I mean by "helping verb?" Let me give you examples: When speaking in the past tense, we can either say, "They went to the movies," or "They have gone to the movies." In the second example, have is the helping verb while gone is a past participle. Together they form a past tense. See below for the correct helping verbs, depending on the subject.
I have spoken We have helped
You have eaten You all have seen
He (she, or it) has been They have arrived
Often, we contract the subject and helping verb like this: I've spoken, You've eaten, It's been ...
The helping verb "have" is also used with expressions like: I should have listened, He would have seen, You could have called, They must have eaten.
When a contraction of these expressions is used, they look like this:
I should've listened to you. He would've seen us if he'd been on time. You could've called me. They must've eaten earlier.
Sometimes these types of expressions are completely misspelled. See below:
Example: I saw this in a book by William Forstchen entitled "One Second After."
"...it must of cost a fortune." *I assume he meant to say "it must have cost a fortune" or "it must've cost a fortune." What he wrote is just wrong.
Example: In Janet Evanovich's novel "Two for the Dough," bounty hunter and heroine Stephanie Plum is talking to her friend Lula as they snoop around. Lula has broken the apartment window of someone that Stephanie is checking out. Stephanie says, "I told you we weren't doing anything illegal. People can't just go around breaking windows." Lula replies, "Cagney would of done that."
Stephanie: "Cagney would never have done that." Lula: Would of." Stephanie: "Would not!"
*Interesting that the author writes correctly what Stephanie says but not what Lula says. I wonder why that is.
Sometimes, the verb is just plain missing.
Example: On an episode of TV's "Army Wives," Denise Sherwood, one of the wives, says to her future daugher-in-law, "How long you been seeing Dr. Hanson?" *Specifically, "How long have you been seeing Dr. Hanson?"
Other times, simply the wrong word is used.
Example: Carl Hiassen wrote this bit in his novel "Sick Puppy."
"The Governor of Florida is in his office when his phone rings and rings. Apparently his secretary is not answering it. He asks, "Is Dorothy gone home already?" *Perhaps the fact that the Governor used to be a car salesman explains why he has such poor grammar. Or maybe not. Who knows?
I do know, dear Readers, that when we say aloud expressions like "should've," "must've", "could've,"or "would've," it does sound like "should of," "must of," "could of," or "would of." But of course, that doesn't make them right. This posting should've explained it for you.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes in speech or in print, the helping verb "have" has been either omitted or misspelled? What do I mean by "helping verb?" Let me give you examples: When speaking in the past tense, we can either say, "They went to the movies," or "They have gone to the movies." In the second example, have is the helping verb while gone is a past participle. Together they form a past tense. See below for the correct helping verbs, depending on the subject.
I have spoken We have helped
You have eaten You all have seen
He (she, or it) has been They have arrived
Often, we contract the subject and helping verb like this: I've spoken, You've eaten, It's been ...
The helping verb "have" is also used with expressions like: I should have listened, He would have seen, You could have called, They must have eaten.
When a contraction of these expressions is used, they look like this:
I should've listened to you. He would've seen us if he'd been on time. You could've called me. They must've eaten earlier.
Sometimes these types of expressions are completely misspelled. See below:
Example: I saw this in a book by William Forstchen entitled "One Second After."
"...it must of cost a fortune." *I assume he meant to say "it must have cost a fortune" or "it must've cost a fortune." What he wrote is just wrong.
Example: In Janet Evanovich's novel "Two for the Dough," bounty hunter and heroine Stephanie Plum is talking to her friend Lula as they snoop around. Lula has broken the apartment window of someone that Stephanie is checking out. Stephanie says, "I told you we weren't doing anything illegal. People can't just go around breaking windows." Lula replies, "Cagney would of done that."
Stephanie: "Cagney would never have done that." Lula: Would of." Stephanie: "Would not!"
*Interesting that the author writes correctly what Stephanie says but not what Lula says. I wonder why that is.
Sometimes, the verb is just plain missing.
Example: On an episode of TV's "Army Wives," Denise Sherwood, one of the wives, says to her future daugher-in-law, "How long you been seeing Dr. Hanson?" *Specifically, "How long have you been seeing Dr. Hanson?"
Other times, simply the wrong word is used.
Example: Carl Hiassen wrote this bit in his novel "Sick Puppy."
"The Governor of Florida is in his office when his phone rings and rings. Apparently his secretary is not answering it. He asks, "Is Dorothy gone home already?" *Perhaps the fact that the Governor used to be a car salesman explains why he has such poor grammar. Or maybe not. Who knows?
I do know, dear Readers, that when we say aloud expressions like "should've," "must've", "could've,"or "would've," it does sound like "should of," "must of," "could of," or "would of." But of course, that doesn't make them right. This posting should've explained it for you.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
What or Which?
Dear Readers,
In the French language, one cannot use interchangeably the interrogatives "What...?" and "Which...?"
What? asks for either a definition or for an answer that is a direct object. For example: "What is a barracuda? A fish or a mammal?" and "What are you eating? I'm eating an apple."
Which is asked when there is a choice of answers. For example: "Which pair of shoes do you prefer?" and "Which is the correct answer, A or B?"
I find it interesting that in the English language people often do use these terms interchangeably.
See the examples below and try to imagine the word Which being used instead of What.
Example: In an old "Seinfeld" episode, George is working on a project for the Mets that he is clueless about. He is told to go down to the payroll office where he tells the clerk, "I'm working on the project." The clerk asks, "What project?"
Example: During an episode of "Hawaii 5-0," Commander Steve McGarrett has an investigator tailing his mother who walks into a grocery store. She confronts the P.I. and asks, "Were you gonna ask my help in deciding what cantaloupes are ripe?"
Example: Detective Danny Reagan on TV's "Blue Bloods," wants to protect a young woman that he has arrested and asks that she be transferred to protective custody. He's told that she's in the hospital. He inquires, "What hospital?"
Example: On the TV show "The Following," two followers of the serial killer Joe Carroll are discussing Emma, a third follower. One guy says to the other, "I don't get the Emma you get." Emma walks in on their conversations and asks, "What Emma is that?"
Example: Songwriting duo Gunnar and Scarlette, on the TV show "Nashville," are told by their manager that they have officially received an offer to put one of their songs on hold. Gunnar asks, "What song?"
Example: In the novel Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz, Private Investigator Isabel Spellman is asked by her teen-aged sister Rae, "So is it all right if I go over to my friend's house?" Isabel asks,
"What friend?"
Now read one example of the better word being used:
On an episode of BBC America's show "Copper," former Union army major and current New York businessman Robert Morehouse is at a meeting with some cronies. He says, "Shall we take a recess from business? The neighborhood is afire with whispers of last month's scandal." One of the men asks, "Christ, which scandal?" *Ah, leave it to the British to speak good English.
So, dear Readers, which blog will you refer to when faced with the What/Which dilemma?
I hope it's mine.
In the French language, one cannot use interchangeably the interrogatives "What...?" and "Which...?"
What? asks for either a definition or for an answer that is a direct object. For example: "What is a barracuda? A fish or a mammal?" and "What are you eating? I'm eating an apple."
Which is asked when there is a choice of answers. For example: "Which pair of shoes do you prefer?" and "Which is the correct answer, A or B?"
I find it interesting that in the English language people often do use these terms interchangeably.
See the examples below and try to imagine the word Which being used instead of What.
Example: In an old "Seinfeld" episode, George is working on a project for the Mets that he is clueless about. He is told to go down to the payroll office where he tells the clerk, "I'm working on the project." The clerk asks, "What project?"
Example: During an episode of "Hawaii 5-0," Commander Steve McGarrett has an investigator tailing his mother who walks into a grocery store. She confronts the P.I. and asks, "Were you gonna ask my help in deciding what cantaloupes are ripe?"
Example: Detective Danny Reagan on TV's "Blue Bloods," wants to protect a young woman that he has arrested and asks that she be transferred to protective custody. He's told that she's in the hospital. He inquires, "What hospital?"
Example: On the TV show "The Following," two followers of the serial killer Joe Carroll are discussing Emma, a third follower. One guy says to the other, "I don't get the Emma you get." Emma walks in on their conversations and asks, "What Emma is that?"
Example: Songwriting duo Gunnar and Scarlette, on the TV show "Nashville," are told by their manager that they have officially received an offer to put one of their songs on hold. Gunnar asks, "What song?"
Example: In the novel Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz, Private Investigator Isabel Spellman is asked by her teen-aged sister Rae, "So is it all right if I go over to my friend's house?" Isabel asks,
"What friend?"
Now read one example of the better word being used:
On an episode of BBC America's show "Copper," former Union army major and current New York businessman Robert Morehouse is at a meeting with some cronies. He says, "Shall we take a recess from business? The neighborhood is afire with whispers of last month's scandal." One of the men asks, "Christ, which scandal?" *Ah, leave it to the British to speak good English.
So, dear Readers, which blog will you refer to when faced with the What/Which dilemma?
I hope it's mine.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Neither this nor that
Dear Readers,
I am going to start this post with a cute exchange between Dr. Sheldon Cooper and his casual girlfriend, Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, from an episode of "The Big Bang Theory." Sheldon has become jealous when she goes out with another fellow. He proposes this scenario to her: "With the understanding that nothing changes whatsoever, physical or otherwise, I would not object to us no longer characterizing you as 'not my girlfriend.'" She replies, "Interesting...Now try it without the quadruple negative." She is obviously bright enough, having a doctorate of science, to catch those pesky negatives. What I am going to focus on this month is the actual need for two negatives.
When one uses the conjunction "neither," it should be followed by its corresponding negative "nor," not "or." See below for examples of right and wrong.
WRONG
Example: In the July 16, 2012 edition of People magazine, there was an article about Katie Holmes' split from Tom Cruise. "Neither Nicole [Kidman, Cruise's second wife] or Katie embraced Scientology," says one source.
Example: Le Mariage by Diane Johnson has a character musing about a missing member of her community. She says, "Neither SuAnn or Cristal are one hundred percent, in my opinion." *Not only does the author not use the correct nor, she also uses a plural verb "are" when it should be singular, "is."
CORRECT
Example: Geena Davis' character, Dr. Lindqvist, on the TV movie "Coma," says this when a resident doctor barges into an Ethics Committee meeting: "This is neither the time nor the place."
Examples from 50 Shades Freed by E.L. James: (1) Narrator Anastasia Steele is reluctant to talk about where her honeymoon will take place. She says, "Neither Mia nor Kate has managed to inveigle the information out of him [referring to her fiance, Christian]."
(2) As Anastasia, her maid of honor Kate, and her mother discuss the lack of the word "obey" in the wedding vows, Ana's thoughts are, "Neither she nor my mother have any idea of the fight Christian and I had about that."
Example: The BBC America TV show "Copper" takes place in New York around the time after the civil war. In one episode, detective Kevin Corcoran is searching for his missing friend and colleague. He goes to the parish priest for help. The priest says, "I have neither seen nor heard from Francis Maguire," much to Kevin's consternation.
Example: Philippa Gregory's novel The White Queen takes place in 1471 England. King Edward York tells his wife about his enemy: "Warwick is holed up in Coventry and will neither surrender nor give battle."
*In these last two examples, I am pleased to see that the modern writers chose to have their characters speak proper English. We should all strive to speak as well. But the point is neither here nor there. It's up to you.
I am going to start this post with a cute exchange between Dr. Sheldon Cooper and his casual girlfriend, Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, from an episode of "The Big Bang Theory." Sheldon has become jealous when she goes out with another fellow. He proposes this scenario to her: "With the understanding that nothing changes whatsoever, physical or otherwise, I would not object to us no longer characterizing you as 'not my girlfriend.'" She replies, "Interesting...Now try it without the quadruple negative." She is obviously bright enough, having a doctorate of science, to catch those pesky negatives. What I am going to focus on this month is the actual need for two negatives.
When one uses the conjunction "neither," it should be followed by its corresponding negative "nor," not "or." See below for examples of right and wrong.
WRONG
Example: In the July 16, 2012 edition of People magazine, there was an article about Katie Holmes' split from Tom Cruise. "Neither Nicole [Kidman, Cruise's second wife] or Katie embraced Scientology," says one source.
Example: Le Mariage by Diane Johnson has a character musing about a missing member of her community. She says, "Neither SuAnn or Cristal are one hundred percent, in my opinion." *Not only does the author not use the correct nor, she also uses a plural verb "are" when it should be singular, "is."
CORRECT
Example: Geena Davis' character, Dr. Lindqvist, on the TV movie "Coma," says this when a resident doctor barges into an Ethics Committee meeting: "This is neither the time nor the place."
Examples from 50 Shades Freed by E.L. James: (1) Narrator Anastasia Steele is reluctant to talk about where her honeymoon will take place. She says, "Neither Mia nor Kate has managed to inveigle the information out of him [referring to her fiance, Christian]."
(2) As Anastasia, her maid of honor Kate, and her mother discuss the lack of the word "obey" in the wedding vows, Ana's thoughts are, "Neither she nor my mother have any idea of the fight Christian and I had about that."
Example: The BBC America TV show "Copper" takes place in New York around the time after the civil war. In one episode, detective Kevin Corcoran is searching for his missing friend and colleague. He goes to the parish priest for help. The priest says, "I have neither seen nor heard from Francis Maguire," much to Kevin's consternation.
Example: Philippa Gregory's novel The White Queen takes place in 1471 England. King Edward York tells his wife about his enemy: "Warwick is holed up in Coventry and will neither surrender nor give battle."
*In these last two examples, I am pleased to see that the modern writers chose to have their characters speak proper English. We should all strive to speak as well. But the point is neither here nor there. It's up to you.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Where's the verb?
Dear Readers,
I have been noticing this trend for a very long time and this month I will share it with you.
In speech and in writing, people are leaving out the verb and/or other words in a sentence or a question. No doubt we understand perfectly, but to me, it just seems lazy. Does it really take that long to say, "Are" in the question?
Although nearly all the references from TV shows are from programs that are now off the air, the examples are still valid. See below:
Example: In an episode of the sitcom "Hot in Cleveland," Courtney's boyfriend is on crutches. She asks him, "You okay?"
Example: Hannah, the wife of Detective Michael Britten on the TV show "Awake," asks him, "You all right?"
Example: On the show "Fairly Legal," Kate Reed, a mediator for a law firm, is questioning a witness on a case involving a fishing boat accident. She asks, "How long you at sea?"
Example: In the novel Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah, young Bret is playing a game with his grandmother who asks Bret's father Liam if he'd like to join them. When the dad declines, Bret asks, 'You sure, Dad?" The dad answers, "I'm sure, buddy." *Note that the father's sentence did have the verb included (I am = I'm).
In the following examples, you will see a word or two missing. I have no doubt that you can figure out what those words are.
Example: Broadway diva Veronica Moore, in an episode of "Smash," will be playing the lead in the musical "The Wiz." Her director, Derek Wills, is looking at sketches for possible costumes. She asks him, "Which one you like?"
Example: On "CSI: NY," Detectives Mac Taylor and Don Flack are chasing a perp. When Mac reaches the man first, Don asks, "You run track or something? You on the Olympic team?"
Example: In an episode of "Scandal," Olivia Pope, the infamous Washington, D.C. fixer on the show, has been kidnapped. Her staff, Huck and Quinn, hold down the fort at her office. When lobbyist Elizabeth North enters, Quinn asks, "Help you with something?"
Example: Dan Brown, author of Deception Point, has an oceanographer ask a colleague: "Corky, there any chance the meteorite we pulled out of that hole had living organisms on it?"
Example: On a billboard advertising for the San Diego Zoo -
Kids Free in October
Example: On another billboard -
IRS after you?
So, dear Readers, got grammar?
I have been noticing this trend for a very long time and this month I will share it with you.
In speech and in writing, people are leaving out the verb and/or other words in a sentence or a question. No doubt we understand perfectly, but to me, it just seems lazy. Does it really take that long to say, "Are" in the question?
Although nearly all the references from TV shows are from programs that are now off the air, the examples are still valid. See below:
Example: In an episode of the sitcom "Hot in Cleveland," Courtney's boyfriend is on crutches. She asks him, "You okay?"
Example: Hannah, the wife of Detective Michael Britten on the TV show "Awake," asks him, "You all right?"
Example: On the show "Fairly Legal," Kate Reed, a mediator for a law firm, is questioning a witness on a case involving a fishing boat accident. She asks, "How long you at sea?"
Example: In the novel Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah, young Bret is playing a game with his grandmother who asks Bret's father Liam if he'd like to join them. When the dad declines, Bret asks, 'You sure, Dad?" The dad answers, "I'm sure, buddy." *Note that the father's sentence did have the verb included (I am = I'm).
In the following examples, you will see a word or two missing. I have no doubt that you can figure out what those words are.
Example: Broadway diva Veronica Moore, in an episode of "Smash," will be playing the lead in the musical "The Wiz." Her director, Derek Wills, is looking at sketches for possible costumes. She asks him, "Which one you like?"
Example: On "CSI: NY," Detectives Mac Taylor and Don Flack are chasing a perp. When Mac reaches the man first, Don asks, "You run track or something? You on the Olympic team?"
Example: In an episode of "Scandal," Olivia Pope, the infamous Washington, D.C. fixer on the show, has been kidnapped. Her staff, Huck and Quinn, hold down the fort at her office. When lobbyist Elizabeth North enters, Quinn asks, "Help you with something?"
Example: Dan Brown, author of Deception Point, has an oceanographer ask a colleague: "Corky, there any chance the meteorite we pulled out of that hole had living organisms on it?"
Example: On a billboard advertising for the San Diego Zoo -
Kids Free in October
Example: On another billboard -
IRS after you?
So, dear Readers, got grammar?
Friday, April 3, 2015
None But The Brave
Dear Readers,
Here is a quiz for you. Pick the best answer.
None of us ____ perfect.
A. are
B. is
Searching in the Random House Dictionary, I found that "none" is defined as: no one, not one. None of the members is going.
According to my best friends Strunk and White, "With none, use the singular verb when the word means 'no one' or 'not one.'" If you substitute "Not one" for "none," you can see that the answer is B.
But people tend to only hear the plural end of that phrase and therefore use a plural verb.
Read below for examples of incorrect usage of the verb.
Example: In a People magazine interview with reality star Katie Hopkins, she says, "None of our lives are perfect."
Example: Deborah Feldman, author of Unorthodox, writes, "None of the others seem to notice how I feel about them." And her husband says, "None of my brothers are entrepreneurs or businessmen."
Example: On Steve Harvey's daytime talk show, one of his guests is a woman who lost a dramatic amount of weight. She recounts her overweight father saying, "Look at us. None of us are healthy, we will all die young."
Example: When a murder takes place during a Mars planetary simulation on the show "Castle," author Rick Castle and NYPD detective Kate Beckett interrogate three key players. Beckett tells them, "The bad news is, none of you are going to Mars."
Example: Sherlock Holmes, in an episode of TV's "Elementary," explains to his protege that when he returned to London a year ago, he had certain expectations and that "none of them were met."
Example: On "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce," newly single author Abby McCarthy is given an assignment to date ten men in two days. After she does, she returns for a tryst with a younger man she had met previously. She confides to him, "None of them were you."
Example: Annalise Keating is a defense attorney and mentor to a group of law students in the TV show "How To Get Away With Murder." In one episode, she asks these students to find out if a young woman committed murder. She tells them, "And right now, none of you have convinced me that Rebecca did this."
Example: Even the aristocrats use the wrong verb. I heard this on "Downton Abbey" when the Dowager Lady Grantham and Mrs. Crawley discuss going to a tea for Russian expatriates. The older woman says she doesn't have the energy to attend. Mrs. Crawley counters with, "But you must come. You've been to Russia. None of us have."
Now here are a few examples of the correct singular verb being used.
Example: This I heard during a radio interview about a kidnapped and killed young woman.
"I don't know how she died. None of us knows."
Example: In a People magazine article on besmirched newsman Brian Williams and his changing versions of his experiences in Iraq, the magazine states, "None of the versions was true."
Example: Daniel James Brown, in his book The Boys in the Boat, he describes the brand new shell houses built in Berlin for the 1936 Olympic games. "Not one of these was anything like the shell houses Joe and his crewmates had known." *Note here that he even used the longer expression "Not one" instead of "none." This makes it crystal clear that the verb needs to be in the singular.
Example: In an episode of "CSI," a promotional magnet from a pizza parlor is found at a classic car collection where a murder was committed. The employees of the pizza parlor are questioned. The investigator who interrogated them tells his boss, "None of them has a record,... and none of them collects cars." *With good grammar like that, it's no wonder that they solved the crime.
Well, Readers, none of us is perfect and all of us make mistakes on occasion, including me. But at least now we know the correct form of the verb to use after the word "none," and maybe we will help solve a murder.
Here is a quiz for you. Pick the best answer.
None of us ____ perfect.
A. are
B. is
Searching in the Random House Dictionary, I found that "none" is defined as: no one, not one. None of the members is going.
According to my best friends Strunk and White, "With none, use the singular verb when the word means 'no one' or 'not one.'" If you substitute "Not one" for "none," you can see that the answer is B.
But people tend to only hear the plural end of that phrase and therefore use a plural verb.
Read below for examples of incorrect usage of the verb.
Example: In a People magazine interview with reality star Katie Hopkins, she says, "None of our lives are perfect."
Example: Deborah Feldman, author of Unorthodox, writes, "None of the others seem to notice how I feel about them." And her husband says, "None of my brothers are entrepreneurs or businessmen."
Example: On Steve Harvey's daytime talk show, one of his guests is a woman who lost a dramatic amount of weight. She recounts her overweight father saying, "Look at us. None of us are healthy, we will all die young."
Example: When a murder takes place during a Mars planetary simulation on the show "Castle," author Rick Castle and NYPD detective Kate Beckett interrogate three key players. Beckett tells them, "The bad news is, none of you are going to Mars."
Example: Sherlock Holmes, in an episode of TV's "Elementary," explains to his protege that when he returned to London a year ago, he had certain expectations and that "none of them were met."
Example: On "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce," newly single author Abby McCarthy is given an assignment to date ten men in two days. After she does, she returns for a tryst with a younger man she had met previously. She confides to him, "None of them were you."
Example: Annalise Keating is a defense attorney and mentor to a group of law students in the TV show "How To Get Away With Murder." In one episode, she asks these students to find out if a young woman committed murder. She tells them, "And right now, none of you have convinced me that Rebecca did this."
Example: Even the aristocrats use the wrong verb. I heard this on "Downton Abbey" when the Dowager Lady Grantham and Mrs. Crawley discuss going to a tea for Russian expatriates. The older woman says she doesn't have the energy to attend. Mrs. Crawley counters with, "But you must come. You've been to Russia. None of us have."
Now here are a few examples of the correct singular verb being used.
Example: This I heard during a radio interview about a kidnapped and killed young woman.
"I don't know how she died. None of us knows."
Example: In a People magazine article on besmirched newsman Brian Williams and his changing versions of his experiences in Iraq, the magazine states, "None of the versions was true."
Example: Daniel James Brown, in his book The Boys in the Boat, he describes the brand new shell houses built in Berlin for the 1936 Olympic games. "Not one of these was anything like the shell houses Joe and his crewmates had known." *Note here that he even used the longer expression "Not one" instead of "none." This makes it crystal clear that the verb needs to be in the singular.
Example: In an episode of "CSI," a promotional magnet from a pizza parlor is found at a classic car collection where a murder was committed. The employees of the pizza parlor are questioned. The investigator who interrogated them tells his boss, "None of them has a record,... and none of them collects cars." *With good grammar like that, it's no wonder that they solved the crime.
Well, Readers, none of us is perfect and all of us make mistakes on occasion, including me. But at least now we know the correct form of the verb to use after the word "none," and maybe we will help solve a murder.
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