[whisp]

When appropriate, the "People" tab displays, "None of the members you are following are currently online". The subject, "None", is singular, so it should read, "None of the members you are following is currently online". However, this noun is almost always treated as plural these days, so some might argue that the grammar rules should catch up to contemporary usage.

I told you it was a nit.

[FelicityR]

'None' is a pronoun. I'm nitpicking too

[smerriman]

whisp, on 2019-November-07, 14:50, said:

The subject, "None", is singular, so..

This is not true; none can be both singular, and plural. It's a common grammar myth that it can only be singular.

It can mean "not any" (plural), or "not one" (singular).

Even the King James Bible has an example with the plural form (it's not a contemporary thing); so good luck correcting that

[barmar]

Treating it as singular in this sentence sounds wrong to my ears, I'm with smerriman that "none" can go both ways.

https://english.stac...efinite-pronoun

My bridge-related grammar nit involves a popular bridge round timer application for Windows, which we use at our club (and at least one other club in the Boston area also uses). It has an announcement like "Do not start any new boards, there's 3 minutes to go in the round." That one annoys me, and I'm not the only one who has noticed it. It should be "there are 3 minutes to go in the round."

[miamijd]

Smerriman is quite right.

[pescetom]

barmar, on 2019-November-08, 10:25, said:

My bridge-related grammar nit involves a popular bridge round timer application for Windows, which we use at our club (and at least one other club in the Boston area also uses). It has an announcement like "Do not start any new boards, there's 3 minutes to go in the round." That one annoys me, and I'm not the only one who has noticed it. It should be "there are 3 minutes to go in the round."

It should be "Do not start another board", come to that (one can't start multiple boards or an old board).

I dislike BBO's own "You have been disconnected, and are no longer playing in this tournament", and not just because of the sad situation it describes.

[whisp]

I might have an easier time editing the bible than convincing my English teacher about the duality. Thanks for the replies.

[barmar]

pescetom, on 2019-November-09, 08:36, said:

It should be "Do not start another board", come to that (one can't start multiple boards or an old board).

It's talking to the whole room, so if multiple tables each start a new board, multiple boards are started.

And if "new" is redundant, so is "another". These words are used more for emphasis than distinguishing old vs. new.

[gwnn]

Solomon Burke said:

None of us are free.
None of us are free.
None of us are free, one of us are chained.
None of us are free.

[nullve]

pescetom, on 2019-November-09, 08:36, said:

I dislike BBO's own "You have been disconnected, and are no longer playing in this tournament"

Why?

[pescetom]

nullve, on 2020-January-10, 12:17, said:

Why?

Because I find it illogical and paradoxical and reticent.
Illogical, in that if I am reading it I clearly have not been disconnected
Paradoxical in that there is no "this" tournament if I am clearly no longer in one.
Reticent because it gives no explanation of why.
"You have been booted from the tournament you were playing, due to apparent inaction" might be appropriate.

[gwnn]

nullve, on 2020-January-10, 12:17, said:

Why?

There should be no comma there. The second clause has no subject, and therefore it is not a main clause.

[pilowsky]

You guys get paid to do this? Or should that be "Do you guys get paid to do this?" "wait, maybe: "Shouldn't you guys get back to work?" Oh wait - sorry Felicity is 'Guys' gendender neutral - oops there's an eros in my poof.