In the sentence "None of the team were present at the meeting," which word is problematic?

In the sentence "None of the team were present at the meeting," which word is problematic?

• A. None
• B. Of
• C. Were
• D. Present

Answer: (C)

The word that creates an issue in the sentence "None of the team were present at the meeting" is “were.” In this context, "none" refers to "none of the team," which is treated as a singular noun phrase. Therefore, the correct verb form should be "was" instead of "were." Using "was" aligns with standard grammatical agreement for collective nouns such as "team," which, even though it can function as a plural noun in some contexts, is generally treated as singular when referring to the group as a whole. Thus, the revised sentence should read: "None of the team was present at the meeting." This maintains subject-verb agreement and clarity in expression.

The word that creates an issue in the sentence "None of the team were present at the meeting" is “were.” In this context, "none" refers to "none of the team," which is treated as a singular noun phrase. Therefore, the correct verb form should be "was" instead of "were." Using "was" aligns with standard grammatical agreement for collective nouns such as "team," which, even though it can function as a plural noun in some contexts, is generally treated as singular when referring to the group as a whole. Thus, the revised sentence should read: "None of the team was present at the meeting." This maintains subject-verb agreement and clarity in expression.