use of 'none'

  1. I want to eat some cake but there are/is none left.
  2. None of my friends phone/phones me any more.
  3. None of us care/cares what happens to him.
  4. None of us are/is able to do the job.
    Please correct the above.
    Thanks.
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  1. I want to eat some cake but there are/is none left.
    The verb needs to agree with the noun “cake” which is uncountable in this case (and NOT with the pronoun “none” as in your other three sentences).

thefreedictionary.com/none
It is widely asserted that none is equivalent to no one, and hence requires a singular verb and singular pronoun: None of the prisoners was given his soup. It is true that none is etymologically derived from the Old English word ān, “one,” but the word has been used as both a singular and a plural noun from Old English onward. The plural usage appears in the King James Bible as well as the works of John Dryden and Edmund Burke and is widespread in the works of respectable writers today. Of course, the singular usage is perfectly acceptable. The choice between a singular or plural verb depends on the desired effect. Both options are acceptable in this sentence: None of the conspirators has (or have) been brought to trial. When none is modified by almost, however, it is difficult to avoid treating the word as a plural: Almost none of the officials were (not was) interviewed by the committee. None can only be plural in its use in sentences such as: None but his most loyal supporters believe (not believes) his story.

oxfordlearnersdictionaries.c … ish/none_1
None of these pens works/work.
We have three sons but none of them lives/live nearby.

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Beeesneees,
2. None of my friends phone/phones me any more.
3. None of us care/cares what happens to him.
4. None of us are/is able to do the job.
Please confirm both singular and plural verb work in the above sentences.
Thanks.

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Both possible as Cristina explains.

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Hi, Allifathima:

According to many English grammar books, plural form is used mostly in conversational/informal cases while singular form is preferred in careful written English/formal situations.

   Thanks.
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Hi Foreigner:
the plural form is used mostly in conversational/informal cases while the singular form is preferred …

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Thanks for correcting me. :-)
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