Verb agreement with none

At one time, many authorities insisted that the verb that followed none must always be singular, since none was considered to mean not one and to have a singular sense.

Today, however, the choice of the verb depends on the context. The word none may be followed by a singular or a plural verb, depending on the sense.

When none refers to a singular or non-count noun, it requires a singular verb:

• None of the work has been completed.
  [None refers to the non-count noun work and therefore has a singular meaning, so we need the singular verb has.]

When none refers to a plural noun, a plural verb is ordinarily used:

• None of the workers were injured in the accident.
  [None refers to the plural noun workers and therefore has a plural meaning, so it is correct to use the plural verb are.]

Note: Even when none refers to a plural noun, the writer may prefer to use a singular verb in order to stress the meaning not a single one:

• None of the workers was injured in the accident.