Nobody, No One, and None How to Choose the Right Word

The indefinite pronouns nobody and no one are often mixed up with the pronoun none. The first two words are both singular pronouns and synonymous, but none can be either singular or plural. How to Use Nobody Nobody is an indefinite pronoun, meaning it does not refer to any particular person. It means the same thing as no person or not anyone. As an indefinite pronoun that refers to an absence, nobody also has no defined amount. Grammatically, though, it is treated as a singular noun: Nobody was there to open the door. How to Use No One No one is also an indefinite pronoun, and it means the same thing as nobody. It is usually considered more formal than nobody, which is why it is more likely to appear in writing. Noone is a common misspelling of no one, which is two words. No-one—with a hyphen—is a less common spelling, typically found in British English. How to Use None The pronoun none means not one, not any, or no persons or things. As an adverb, none means not at all or to no extent. Theres a common misconception that none can only be singular, but this has never been true. When none is the subject of a clause and refers to members of a group, it can be used with either a singular verb (None is) or a plural verb (None are). None must be followed by a singular verb only when it means not part of a whole, as in None of it is mine. Examples Nobody and no one are basically interchangeable; the main difference between the two is the degree of formality: No one is ever too old to learn something new.Nobody wants to sign up for cleanup duties. None means the same thing as not one or not any, which is why its often found in reference to groups: None of the other apples are as good as the Honeycrisp.None of the guests has any idea what to bring to the party. In the first example, none takes the plural verb are because it is used in the sense of not any (Not any of the other apples are as good as the Honeycrisp). In the second example, none takes the singular verb has because it is used in the sense of not one (Not one of the guests has any idea what to bring to the party). If youre using the word none and you arent sure if it should take a singular or a plural verb, try replacing none with not any or not one to determine in which sense its being used. Wilson Follett, the author of the style guide Modern American Usage, wrote that choosing the right verb for none is always a matter of context: The fact is that in some contexts none means not a single one, making singularity emphatic, whereas in other contexts it means no two, no few, no several, no fraction of many. In None of us is entitled to cast the first stone the singular meaning is hardly mistakable; in None of the commentators agree on the meaning of this passage the plural meaning is equally clear. None, then, is freely either singular or plural according to the sense suggested by its context. Often the number we give it makes no difference. How to Remember the Differences Nobody and no one always refer to people. If youre struggling to decide which one you should write, you can relax. Either one will do, so stick with whichever sounds best. None can refer to people or inanimate objects. This word always points to another noun or nouns in a sentence, which is why you often see the construction none of the [noun], as in: None of the guests enjoyed the meal. None is the appropriate word in this case because it points to the noun guests. Without the noun guests, the sentence would require an indefinite pronoun such as nobody or no one instead: No one enjoyed the meal. Sources Follett, Wilson.  Modern American Usage: A Guide. Hill and Wang, 1998, p. 205.Partridge, Eric.  Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English. W. W. Norton Company, 1997, pp. 207-208.