None of those books is interesting, are they/is it?

[GeneD]

None of those books is interesting, are they?
None of those books is interesting, is it?

Which of the two options is correct?

 

[GeneD]

What about animate beings? Is the situation different in this case?

None of them are aware of x, are they?
None of them is aware of x, are they?

Are the above examples correct?

 

[GeneD]

In "Advanced Grammar in Use", it's said that "with any of, each of, either of, neither of, or none of with plural noun we can use a singular or plural verb", but in parentheses they note: "We use a singular verb for careful written English". It's a bit confusing because you adviced to

Avoid using a singular verb with 'none' when using 'they' in the tag.

Is it OK for "careful written English"?

 

[teechar]

Are you sure that wasn't "carefully written English"?

 

[GeneD]

Are you sure that wasn't "carefully written English"?

Yes, I've just checked, and it's "careful" there. Is it wrong?

 

[teechar]

No, it's not wrong. I was just curious to know.