Unit 8.2

No vs Not

Determiners

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Introduction

No and not convey a negative meaning for clauses, words and expressions.

Form

No and not have different position in the sentence.

We find:

No before nouns without articles and with -ing form to mean “not any”;
Not before nouns (with articles), adverbs, adjectives and verb. It appears also before the words any, enough, many, much.

Example

Could you please give me some hydrogen peroxide? No way, it is dangerous for children.
I’m a dentist, not a psychologist.
The professor is not clearly explaining the lesson.
The meaning is not clear.
There are not any antibiotics in the drawer.
There is not enough alcohol for everyone.
Not many people can afford private health service.
There isn’t much time left.
No vs Not (emphasis):
- There is no thermometer in the bathroom. (More emphasis)
  There is not a thermometer in the bathroom.
- You have got no emails. (More emphasis)
  You have not got any emails.

Use

We use no and not for stating that someone/something is absent or negative. They have slightly difference in meaning.

We use no in yes/no questions and to give more emphasis to the sentence;
We use not for the negative form of sentences and to give less emphasis to a sentence.

{See Present Simple Negative, A1 level}

Summary

No and not are both used to obtain the negative meaning of clauses, words and expressions. {See Present Simple Negative, A1 level}

We find:

No before nouns without articles and with -ing form to express “not any”;
Not before nouns (with articles), adverbs, adjectives and verbs.
It also appears before the words any, enough, many or much.

For example:
— “There is no cake left.” = No can be used with nouns but without an article.
— “There is not anyone in the office.” = Not can be used with adjectives.

Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.

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