Hi there let me try to help.


None is an ambiguous subject, which can be plural or singular. From what I know, it is situational and you have to look at what it is referring to and what effect or message it is showing.

In the second example ‘None but the selected boys have money’.

My take is that none in this case refers to the whole group except the select few, thus it is plural.

You only use singular if you are trying to emphasise the idea of ‘not one’ or you use it with uncountable items (water).

‘Till this day, none of the thieves has been caught’
‘None of the water is clean’


In the first example

No one,except p and j, likes durians.

No one is more clear cut, it is always considered as singular. Do not let the phrase ‘except P and J’ confuse you as it is not the subject in question.