Any, no, none

When you use it

No, not any and none all say that the number or the amount is zero. The meaning is the same, but each one has its own place in the sentence. No goes straight before a noun: There's no sugar. Not … any uses a negative verb: There isn't any sugar. None stands in place of a noun that is already clear: I wanted sugar, but there was none. Any also has a second job. In a positive sentence it means "it does not matter which": Any seat in the front row is fine for me. This lesson builds on some and any and something, anything, nothing.

How it is formed

No or not any? They mean the same: We have no bread = We don't have any bread. With a singular countable noun, no means not a: There's no lift in this building = There isn't a lift in this building. In everyday speech not any is more common; no sounds a little stronger and is very common after there is, there are and have (got). When the zero idea is the subject of the sentence, start with no or none and keep the verb positive: No tickets were left, not Any tickets weren't left.

No or not? No goes before a noun, also when an adjective comes in between (no hot water). Not goes with a verb (isn't, don't, can't) and before words like a, any, much, many or very: not a word, not any milk, not very far. So you say I have no time or I don't have time, but not I have not time.

None. None is the form with no noun after it. It replaces no + noun when everyone knows which noun you mean: We needed eggs, but there were none (= there weren't any eggs). It cannot go straight before a noun: say no students or none of the students, not none students.

None of. Before the, my, these, those or a pronoun (us, you, them), use none of: none of the shops, none of my clothes, none of us. After none of + a plural noun or pronoun, a singular and a plural verb are both correct: None of the shops is open / None of the shops are open. The singular is more formal; the plural is very common in speech and writing. With an uncountable noun the verb is singular: None of the bread was fresh.

One negative word. No, none and not are each negative on their own, so standard English uses only one of them in a clause: I didn't buy any bread or I bought no bread, not I didn't buy no bread. You may hear double negatives in songs and very informal speech, but they are not standard English.

None or neither? None is for three or more people or things, or for an amount. For exactly two, use neither: Anna asked two doctors, and neither of them knew the answer.

Short answers. None can be a whole answer: How many sweets did you eat? — None. To make it stronger, add at all: None at all, no money at all. None of us or none of them means nobody from a known group; for people in general, English says nobody or no one.

Any = it does not matter which. In a positive sentence, any + a singular, plural or uncountable noun means that every choice is possible: You can pay with any card. In speech any is stressed here. In questions and after a negative verb, any has its usual meaning, as in the lesson on some and any.

Examples

• There's no hot water this morning, so I had a cold shower.
• The new flat doesn't have any curtains yet.
• We looked for an open café, but there were none.
• None of my colleagues drives to work.
• None of the windows were open, so the room was very hot.
• "How many mistakes did you make in the test?" "None."
• You can sit at any table; the waiter will bring the menu.
• Anna has no idea where she put her glasses.
• None of this money is mine.
• I have two brothers, but neither of them lives near me.

Common mistakes

• ✗There isn't no sugar in the cupboard.

  ✓ There isn't any sugar in the cupboard. / There's no sugar in the cupboard.

  Isn't is already negative, so the second word is any. With no, the verb stays positive. Ukrainian puts two negative words together, as in Я нічого не бачив, so a second negative after isn't feels natural. English keeps only one. Russian puts two negative words together, as in Я ничего не видел, so a second negative after isn't feels natural. English keeps only one. Es gibt keinen Zucker has one negative word, so There's no sugar is the direct translation: kein is no or not any.

• ✗I have not time today.

  ✓ I have no time today. / I don't have any time today. / I don't have time today.

  Not goes with a verb (don't have). Straight before a noun, the word is no. In Не маю часу, не belongs to the verb, just as not does in don't have. A noun on its own takes no. У меня нет времени looks like I have not time word for word. English needs no time or don't have time. German makes the same split: Ich habe keine Zeit, not nicht Zeit. Kein is no, and nicht is not.

• ✗None students passed the exam.

  ✓ No students passed the exam. / None of the students passed the exam.

  None does not go straight before a noun. Use no + noun, or none of + the, my, these… + noun. Жоден студент and жоден зі студентів use the same word; English has no before a noun and none of before the. Ни один студент and ни один из студентов use the same words; English has no before a noun and none of before the. Kein Student is no student, and keiner der Studenten is none of the students. Kein goes before a noun and keiner stands alone, like no and none.

• ✗I have two sisters, and none of them is married.

  ✓ I have two sisters, and neither of them is married.

  With exactly two, use neither. None is for three or more, or for an amount. Жодна з них works for two people or for twenty; English has a separate word for two. Ни одна из них works for two people or for twenty; English has a separate word for two. Keine von beiden adds beiden for two; English uses a different word, neither.

• ✗Any of my friends didn't come to the party.

  ✓ None of my friends came to the party.

  When the zero idea is the subject, start with none of or no and keep the verb positive. In Жоден з моїх друзів не прийшов the verb is negative too; in English none of is the only negative word. In Ни один из моих друзей не пришёл the verb is negative too; in English none of is the only negative word. Keiner meiner Freunde ist gekommen has one negative word and a positive verb, exactly like None of my friends came.

Practice

The exercises go from easy to harder. Each answer is checked at once. If it is wrong, you get a hint and a second try.