Friday 18 December 2015

(4.1.6) Use of 'No' and 'Not' / Difference between 'No' and 'Not'

Difference between 'No' and 'Not'/ Use of 'No' and 'Not'

(1) 'No' is used as an adjective.
'Not' is used as an adverb.
'No' is used before a noun. This noun can be singular or plural.
'Not' is used to make a sentence negative.
(2) No = Not any
'No' is an adjective.
'No' is used before singular and plural nouns.
After 'No' articles (a, an, the ) and possessive pronouns (my, his, their) are not used.
Examples -
The boy has no money to buy new books.
I have no pen to write with.
There are no boys in the class now.
No news is good news.
No one knows what will happen tomorrow.
(3) Not = A word expressing denial or negation.
> 'Not' is used as an adverb.
There isn't any book on the table.
> When 'Not' is used after the verb 'to be' (is, am, are, was, were, etc.) , the following patterns are used -
(A) Subject + verb to be + not + a/an + singular countable noun
There isn't a boy in the room.
( in this sentence 'any' can be used in place of 'a'.) There isn't any boy in the room.
He isn't a teacher.
(B) Subject + verb 'to be' + not + plural noun or uncountable noun (without any article)
They aren't cows.
There isn't light in the room.
(C) Subject + verb 'to be ' + not + adjective ( In this pattern 'No' cannot be used because 'no' cannot qualify any adjective.)
This picture is not beautiful.
You are not bad.

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