Foundation grammar · Unit 77 · A2

not + any, no, none

Determiners and pronouns

There are two ways to say zero: a negative verb with any (there aren't any), or a positive verb with no (there are no). Use none on its own, without a noun, as a short answer.

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A not + any, and no + noun

The bike rack outside the school is empty. It is half term, and the bikes are at home.

There aren't any bikes in the rack. There are no bikes in the rack. How many bikes are there? None.

not (n't) + any is the usual negative.

no + noun (no bikes, no garden) means the same as not + any or not + a. We use it especially after have (got) and there is / there are.

Use one negative, not two. negative verb + any = positive verb + no. "They haven't got no money" is not correct English, whatever one hears at the bus stop.

  • There aren't any bikes in the rack.
  • Dean and Kerry haven't got any pets.
  • You can have some crisps, but I don't want any.
  • There are no bikes in the rack. (= there aren't any bikes)
  • We've got no bread. (= we haven't got any bread)
  • It's a nice flat, but there's no lift. (= there isn't a lift)
  • They haven't got any money. or They've got no money.
  • There isn't any salt in this soup. or There's no salt in this soup.

B no and none

Use no + noun (no money, no problems).

Use none on its own, without a noun.

  • We've got no money.
  • The journey was fine. There were no delays.
  • "How much money have you got?" "None." (= no money)
  • "Were there any delays?" "No, none." (= no delays)

C none and no-one

none = 0 (zero). It answers How much? and How many?, for things or people.

no-one = nobody (see unit 78). It answers Who?

  • "How much milk is there?" "None." (= no milk)
  • "How many people came to the meeting?" "None." (= no people)
  • "Who did you see at the park?" "No-one." (or "Nobody.")

Exercises

77.1 Write the sentences again. In sentences 1 to 4 use no. In sentences 5 to 8 use any.

  1. We haven't got any milk. (no)

    We've got no milk.

    We've got no milk.

  2. There aren't any trains on Sundays. (no)

  3. Jamal hasn't got any patience. (no)

  4. There isn't a lift in this building. (no)

  5. We've got no bread. (any)

    We haven't got any bread.

    We haven't got any bread.

  6. There's no soap in the bathroom. (any)

  7. There are no taxis tonight. (any)

  8. Holly has got no aunts or uncles. (any)

77.2 In sentences 1 to 6, put in no or any. In sentences 7 to 12, put in no, any or none.

  1. There's no milk in your tea.

    There's no milk in your tea.

  2. My sister has got a big house, but she hasn't got pets.

  3. Mark doesn't eat meat.

  4. I'm sorry, there's orange juice. Would you like some apple juice?

  5. "Look at those deer!" "Deer? Where? I can't see deer."

  6. "Do you know what time it is?" "Sorry, I've got watch."

  7. There aren't chairs in the kitchen.

  8. The film was very long, but there was interval.

  9. I wanted to buy some lemons, but they didn't have at the market.

  10. The journey went well. There were delays.

  11. "How much homework have you got?" "."

  12. "How much homework have you got?" "I haven't got ."

77.3 Complete the sentences. Use any or no with one of the words in the box.

answerdelaysdifferencefurniturehot waterhouseworkneighbourspapersavingstickets

  1. The trip went well. There were no delays.

    The trip went well. There were no delays.

  2. They want to buy a house, but they've got .

  3. I'm exhausted. I'm not going to do today.

  4. He lives on a farm miles from anywhere. He's got .

  5. There's between these two shirts. They're exactly the same.

  6. The new flat had bare walls and bare floors. There wasn't in it at all.

  7. I rang the doorbell twice, but there was .

  8. We can't have a bath because there isn't .

  9. I can't print . There's in the printer.

77.4 Write short answers of one or two words to these questions. Use none where it is needed.

  1. How many emails did you send yesterday?

    Example answer: Three. A lot. None.

  2. How many brothers have you got?

  3. How much tea did you drink yesterday?

  4. How many text messages have you sent today?

  5. How many legs has a worm got?

See also