My Grammar and I (Or Should That Be 'Me'?): Old-School Ways to Sharpen Your English

A million pounds is a lot of money.
A million homes are reported to be without power today.
Two years is a long time to wait.
The two years since I saw you have dragged by.
Half the people at the party have food poisoning.
The remainder of the guests are still enjoying the party.
And then there was none…
You’re likely to come across conflicting views on this one. Many people believe
that  none  is  a  contraction  of  not  one  ,  and  therefore  should  always  take  the
singular verb. None may also mean not any  ,  however,  in  which  case  it  takes  a
plural verb.
Rule: None is singular only when it means no amount . If you mean not one you
could always say not one , particularly if you want to add emphasis.
None of the wine was left in the bottle.
None of the drinks are paid for.
None of the food is fresh.
None of the people are well .
How many objects exactly?
Another  common  area  of  confusion  between  singular  and  plural  comes  in
sentences such as:

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Many men cheat on their wife/wives?
The boys put their hands on their head/s?
Are we talking about bigamists as well as adulterers here? Or a number of men
sharing a single wife? Many-headed boys? Or boys sharing a single head?