Fantasy Government What would you do ?

[said]

Well, it's obvious that this government is making a right pig's ear of the pandemic response.
Delayed lockdown, delayed testing, delayed quarantine for arrivals at airports, delayed compulsory wearing of masks, track and trace nowhere near ready and weakness in dealing with the Cummings affair.
Although he survived Covid-19, I think it would be apt to refer to the PM as the very late Boris Johnson.
The country's reputation abroad is one of ridicule.
God help us all when the second wave hits.

The second wave will arrive somewhere around the end of November/December as usual. When humans are deprived of long hot sunny days and submit to a less healthy diet. The UK is not the only country that has been ridiculed, all those affected have been.

[local]

Well, it's obvious that this government is making a right pig's ear of the pandemic response.
Delayed lockdown, delayed testing, delayed quarantine for arrivals at airports, delayed compulsory wearing of masks, track and trace nowhere near ready and weakness in dealing with the Cummings affair.
Although he survived Covid-19, I think it would be apt to refer to the PM as the very late Boris Johnson.
The country's reputation abroad is one of ridicule.
God help us all when the second wave hits.

Its so good to have another armchair virologist and pandemic expert on here, you could be our Professors Saids assistant if you study hard

[Derek H]

Not sure about that. If 'professors' is plural, wouldn't it be 'have'?

He has, they have?

Or is it 'professor's' with a possessive apostrophe?

Not seeing the post, and I don't really care about spelling and grammar, but I thought I'd join in while I'm waiting for an online quiz to start.

Thanks, Toodles, for the input.
I think the point in question is the use of "none". He wrote: "None of the professors have". This means not one or not a singular or the like, and in English is therefore singular. Can anyone give me a link pointing in the direction of using it as plural?

[Derek H]

Aah Degsy my little pet stalker.

Thank goodness you dunno know where I live udderwise you would be dossing round, would you like some of my old pants to sniff ?

Still waiting for a reply to my previous question.

[Hector]

Thanks, Toodles, for the input.
I think the point in question is the use of "none". He wrote: "None of the professors have". This means not one or not a singular or the like, and in English is therefore singular. Can anyone give me a link pointing in the direction of using it as plural?

Go with 'none of them are,' Degsy. Otherwise you sound very old. I thought you were only about 85 or so. Or is that an old photo?

Anyway, from the O.E.D.


none1 /n?n /
? pronoun not any:
none of you want to work
don't use any more water, or there'll be none left for me.
? no person; no one:
none could match her looks.
? adverb (none the) [with comparative] by no amount; not at all:
it is made none the easier by the differences in approach.
– PHRASES
none other than
used to emphasize the surprising identity of a person or thing:
her first customer was none other than Henry du Pont.
will have none of something (also want none of something)
refuse to accept a particular thing, especially a person's behaviour:
I will have none of it
Danny offered to wait below, but Peter would have none of it.

– ORIGIN Old English n?n, from ne ‘not’ + ?n ‘one’, of Germanic origin; compare with German nein ‘no!’.

It is sometimes held that none can only take a singular verb, never a plural verb: none of them is coming tonight rather than none of them are coming tonight. There is little justification, historical or grammatical, for this view. None is descended from Old English n?n meaning ‘not one’ and has been used for around a thousand years with both a singular and a plural verb, depending on the context and the emphasis needed.

[local]

Go with 'none of them are,' Degsy. Otherwise you sound very old. I thought you were only about 85 or so. Or is that an old photo?

Anyway, from the O.E.D.


none1 /n?n /
? pronoun not any:
none of you want to work
don't use any more water, or there'll be none left for me.
? no person; no one:
none could match her looks.
? adverb (none the) [with comparative] by no amount; not at all:
it is made none the easier by the differences in approach.
– PHRASES
none other than
used to emphasize the surprising identity of a person or thing:
her first customer was none other than Henry du Pont.
will have none of something (also want none of something)
refuse to accept a particular thing, especially a person's behaviour:
I will have none of it
Danny offered to wait below, but Peter would have none of it.

– ORIGIN Old English n?n, from ne ‘not’ + ?n ‘one’, of Germanic origin; compare with German nein ‘no!’.

It is sometimes held that none can only take a singular verb, never a plural verb: none of them is coming tonight rather than none of them are coming tonight. There is little justification, historical or grammatical, for this view. None is descended from Old English n?n meaning ‘not one’ and has been used for around a thousand years with both a singular and a plural verb, depending on the context and the emphasis needed.

None of that will cheer Degsy up

None of his posts these days address the thread subject ,

early stage ????

[Derek H]

It is sometimes held that none can only take a singular verb, never a plural verb: none of them is coming tonight rather than none of them are coming tonight. There is little justification, historical or grammatical, for this view. None is descended from Old English n?n meaning ‘not one’ and has been used for around a thousand years with both a singular and a plural verb, depending on the context and the emphasis needed.

So, you c&p a lot of stuff, but when it comes to the point in question you just waffle on. I asked for a link, not your personal opinion. I'll ignore your uncalled-for comments about my age (it appears clearly in my profile). It is sometimes held..... etc. That is my opinion, it is what I was taught as a child, what I have used since, and what I will continue to use. If it that makes me sound old, so be it. I am not a spring chicken.

[Derek H]

None of that will cheer Degsy up

None of his posts these days address the thread subject ,

early stage ????

What the hell are you on about? Your posts are often not to be understood at all. Early stage? I'm old enough to be in the later stage. Where are you?

[Hector]

None of that will cheer Degsy up

None of his posts these days address the thread subject ,

early stage ????

I don't know what it is.

Perhaps it's someone who didn't get a doctorate (or perhaps not even a first degree) and now feels it necessary to show how much he knows. Other than that? Maybe first stage. I hope not. An old pal of mine is in a terrible state.

But, I really don't know what the fascination is with PhDs. I know of a guy who used to make a living out of writing them. If he did everything including the research, he'd charge $20,000. Much sharper than me. I've always seen it as just doing a favour.

[Hector]

So, you c&p a lot of stuff, but when it comes to the point in question you just waffle on. I asked for a link, not your personal opinion. I'll ignore your uncalled-for comments about my age (it appears clearly in my profile). It is sometimes held..... etc. That is my opinion, it is what I was taught as a child, what I have used since, and what I will continue to use. If it that makes me sound old, so be it. I am not a spring chicken.

Degsy: Calm down.

I copied and pasted from the O.E.D for you.

Mop your brow, have a sip of luke warm water, and either read what I provided for you or go to the online O.E.D.

But more importantly, why not try and stay on topic?