Number

“None of them work.”

Common English Blunders, Number, Pronouns, Verbs

I saw a hilarious TV clip about why this is wrong.

Problem:
The number of the verb does not match the number of the subject.

Explanation:
The pronoun “none” means not one.

The pronoun “one” is singular and takes the third-person, singular form of “work”, which is “works”.

Seeing this, we get “Not one of them works.”

Converting “Not one” back to “None” gives us the solution.

I believe that the problematic sentence is an example of speakers and writers being distracted by the nearness of the verb to the pronoun “them”, which is plural.

Solution:
“None of them works.”

“400 Pair of Copper Wiring”

Common English Blunders, Devolution toward Simpler, Number

I saw this in a company presentation.

Problem:
“Pair” is a singular noun being used incorrectly as a plural noun.

Explanation:
Two of anything together is a single pair. Multiples of this means multiple pairs. Note, however, that if you were talking about the size of a cable, then it would be correct to say, “a 400-pair cable“; note the hyphen, which joins “400” and “pair” to form a modifier of “cable”. Similarly, “a twenty-foot ladder” would be correct, and “twenty foot of ladder” would be incorrect.

I also believe that use of “pair” instead of “pairs” helps to prove my “Devolution toward Simpler” linguistic hypothesis. It is simpler to say “pair” than to say “pairs”.

Solution:
“400 Pairs of Copper Wiring“

“Making Referrals are Easy”

Common English Blunders, Number

I saw this as an article title in an employee newsletter.

Problems:
1. The verb in the title is wrong.
2. The verb should be capitalized.

Explanations:
1. The verb goes with “Making” and not with “Referrals”. You should not say, “Making bread are easy.” You should not say, “Making chocolate-chip cookies are easy.” It doesn’t matter what you are making; it’s the making that is easy. To test this, turn around “Making referrals are easy.” You should not say, “It are easy to make referals.” Instead, you should say, “It is easy to make referrals.”
2. Verbs in titles should be capitalized.

Solution:
“Making Referrals Is Easy”