There is /are none.

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subhajit123

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which one is correct?

1-"There used to be pencils in the office. Now, there is none."

2- "There used to be pencils in the office. Now, there are none."

Should none be singular or plural?
 

tedmc

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It is usually singular. But I think you can say: there are no pencils in the office.
 

Tdol

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The plural is common in British English, so both could be used in the UK.
 

emsr2d2

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I tend to use "are" with countable nouns and "is" with uncountable nouns.

There used to be pencils in this room but now there are none.
There used to be water in this fridge but now there is none.
 

Tdol

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That's a logical pattern to me.
 
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