[ExI] Whimsy or error?

[Lee Corbin]

Stathis writes

> [Lee wrote]
> 
>> But consider:  fill in the following sentence, i.e., what is
>> the correct form for sentence # 4 here?
>>
>> #1  There <is|are> six people in the boat.
>> #2  There <is|are> four people in the boat.
>> #3  There <is|are> two people in the boat.
>> #4  There <is|are> zero people in the boat.
> 
> Six of the politicians are worthy.
> One of the politicians is worthy.
> Not one of the politicians is worthy.
> None (=not one) of the politicians is worthy.
> 
> But:
> Zero politicians are worthy.
> Zero of the politicians are worthy. (awkward)
> No (=zero) politicians are worthy.
> -or-
> No (=not one) politician is worthy.
> -or perhaps-
> None (=zero) of the politicians are worthy.
> 
> The last is wrong if "none" is forced to have its original meaning of
> "not one".

You've homed in on my meaning exactly, thanks.

> Interestingly, it appears that one is grammatically singular but zero
> is grammatically plural!

And I conjecture that this is what lies at the root of everyone's
error who says "None are unaccounted for". Their linguistic
systems are taking the meaning of "none" to be zero rather
than "no one". And "zero of them is unaccounted for" just
sounds terrible, and I'd say you're right to affirm that
"zero of the politicians are worthy" is grammatically correct. 

Lee