TKG English Learner's Dictionary

none

nonepronoun

American /nĘŚn/ British /nĘŚn/ None rhymes with one and fun, not with bone or gone, even though the spelling looks similar to bone.
very commondefining vocabulary

  1. not any person or thing in a group, or not any amount of something

    None is usually followed by of: none of the students, none of the money. It stands alone when the group it refers to is already clear from what was just said.

    Collocations

    phrase none of, none at all, none whatsoever

    Antonyms all; some

    Compare no (no goes directly before a noun (no money); none stands alone or is followed by of (none of the money)); nothing (nothing refers to no thing at all, with no group in mind; none picks out not any member of a stated or implied group); neither

    For translators (sense 1)

    Meaning across languages None covers both no person or thing in a countable group (none of the students) and no amount of something uncountable (none of the money); many languages use two different words for these, or none for a pronoun at all and instead negate the verb.
    Grammar trap With a plural noun, none can take a singular verb in careful writing (none of them is ready) or a plural verb in everyday speech (none of them are ready); many languages have no such choice.

Phrases

none too informal

not at all, or only just

none the wiser

knowing no more than before, despite an explanation or an event

Word family

Usage

Formal writing often treats none as singular even with a plural noun (none of them is ready), but everyday speech usually treats it as plural (none of them are ready); both are acceptable.

Common mistakes

None people came to the party. No one came to the party.
None does not go directly before a noun; use no before a noun, or none of before a noun with the, a possessive, or a pronoun.
None of the water were clean. None of the water was clean.
With an uncountable noun, none always takes a singular verb.