The alt.usage.english FAQ   

• "none is" vs "none are"

  (Usage Disputes)
  
  

  
     With mass nouns, you have to use the singular.  ("None of the
  wheat is...")  With count nouns, you can use either the singular or
  the plural.  ("None of the books is..." or "None of the books
  are...")  Usually, the plural sounds more natural, unless you're
  trying to emphasize the idea of "not one", or if the words that
  follow work better in the singular.
  
     The fullest (prescriptive) treatment is in Eric Partridge's book
  _Usage and Abusage_ (Penguin, 1970, 0-14-051024-9).  In the original
  edition Partridge had prescribed the singular in certain cases, but
  a rather long-winded letter from a correspondent persuaded him to
  retract.

  
  
  Source: [Mark Israel, 'Usage Disputes: "none is" vs "none are"', The alt.usage.english FAQ file,(line 2136), (29 Sept 1997)]
  
  
  
  

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