Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
Are there any truly unsympathetic MALE characters in this strip?
Method of Madness:
Actually, you may have convinced me for "neither", since the is/are doesn't refer to the neither itself, but to the singulars within. However, using the singular for "none" is where I draw the line.
pwhodges:
Sure - that's different. But consider "none" as short for "not one", and that works too.
Method of Madness:
--- Quote from: pwhodges on 15 Jun 2011, 11:43 ---"none" as short for "not one"
--- End quote ---
Not gonna lie. My mind is blown. (Seriously, I never realized that "none" is a contraction). But would you say "there is zero" or "there are zero"?
DSL:
I'd say: "There ain't any."
pwhodges:
--- Quote from: Method of Madness on 15 Jun 2011, 11:46 ---(Seriously, I never realized that "none" is a contraction)
--- End quote ---
The Shorter Oxford shows "none" as a word in its own right from Old English times (nan), derived initially from Old Frisian (nen), derived in turn from Old Norse (neinn = ne + an meaning not one ); but I think my point stands.
--- Quote ---But would you say "there is zero" or "there are zero"?
--- End quote ---
"There are zero somethings"; but contrast with: "there is no something". Presumably I am considering the "somethings" or "something" the actual subject (I need to go and think about the correct parsing of those! Please bear in mind that English is not my subject - but it was my mother's.).
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