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Any, no, none

B1 · 40 exercises

The rule in short

How to say that the number or amount is zero with no, not any and none, when none needs of, which verb follows none of, when to use neither instead, and how any can mean 'it does not matter which'.

FormWhere it goesExample
no + nounbefore a singular, plural or uncountable noun; the verb stays positiveWe have no plans for Saturday.
not … any + nouna negative verb, then any + a plural or uncountable nounWe haven't got any stamps.
nonealone, in place of a noun that is already clear"Is there any rice?" "No, there's none."
none of + the, my, these, them, us…before a plural or uncountable noun, or a pronounNone of the lights were on.
any + noun, positive verb"it does not matter which"Any doctor can tell you that.

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.

Lesson: “Any, no, none” (B1), Krumeto · https://krumeto.com/grammar/any-no-none · written for Krumeto with the help of AI tools · Worksheet: krumeto.com

KrumetoAny, no, noneName ____________________

Exercises

A. Choose no or not.

Sorry, we have ___ rooms free tonight. → no

  1. I'm sorry, I have ________ coins for the machine. Can you pay? (no / not)
  2. The library is ________ open on Sundays. (no / not)
  3. ________ cars are allowed in the old town. (No / Not)
  4. It was very early, and there was ________ a single person in the street. (no / not)
  5. I'm afraid there's ________ easy answer to that question. (no / not)

B. Choose no, none or none of.

  1. The market usually sells grapes, but there were ________ today. (no / none / none of)
  2. ________ the trains are running today because of the snow. (No / None / None of)
  3. There's ________ reason to worry. The test results are fine. (no / none / none of)
  4. Anna tried on five dresses, but ________ them was the right size. (no / none / none of)
  5. "How many cousins do you have?" "________. My parents are only children." (No / None / None of)

C. Complete each sentence with one word: no, none, any or not.

We don't need ___ help, thanks. → any

  1. We can't make an omelette. There aren't ________ eggs in the house.
  2. ________ of my friends could come to the concert, so I went alone.
  3. "Can I have some more soup?" "Sorry, there's ________ left."
  4. All these shirts are the same price. Choose ________ shirt you like.
  5. The station is ________ far from here. We can walk.

D. Choose none or neither.

  1. We tried two restaurants, but ________ of them had a free table. (none / neither)
  2. There are twelve eggs in the box, and ________ of them is broken. (none / neither)
  3. Anna bought some milk, but the children drank it all, and now there's ________ left. (none / neither)
  4. My grandparents? ________ of them likes flying. (None / Neither)
  5. "Which of these three songs do you like best?" "________ of them, I'm afraid." (None / Neither)

E. Rewrite the sentences with the word in brackets. Keep the meaning.

  1. We don't have any time for breakfast. (no)
  2. The bakery has no bread today. (any)
  3. I asked for some ice, but there wasn't any. (none)
  4. Not one of my neighbours heard the alarm. (none)
  5. I didn't get any emails today. (no)

F. Put the words in order. Use all the words.

  1. or / Anna / sisters / no / brothers / has
  2. us / of / knew / none / the / answer
  3. from / the / train / this / any / take / to / platform / you / airport / will
  4. there / weren't / taxis / any / station / at / the

G. Correct the mistakes. Change only what is wrong. Two of the sentences are already right: keep them as they are.

  1. We didn't get no reply from the hotel.
  2. None of the children was hungry after the party.
  3. There are none tickets left for Saturday.
  4. I asked two shop assistants, but none of them could help me.
  5. Nobody of my classmates passed the driving test the first time.
  6. You can borrow any of my books.
  7. I wanted some juice, but there wasn't none in the fridge.

H. Match the questions and the answers.

    1. How many emails did you get today? ____
    2. Which pen can I use? ____
    3. Is there any paper in the printer? ____
    4. Did either of your parents go to university? ____
    1. a) No, neither of them did.
    2. b) No, I'm afraid there's none.
    3. c) Any of them. They all work.
    4. d) None. It was a quiet day.
KrumetoAny, no, noneAnswer key

Answer key

A. No goes straight before a noun, or before an adjective + noun: no time, no hot water. Not goes with a verb or adjective (isn't open) or before a, any or very: not a word.

  1. no
  2. not
  3. No
  4. not
  5. no

B. No + noun. None stands alone, with no noun after it. None of + the, my, these, them, us…

  1. none
  2. None of
  3. no
  4. none of
  5. None

C. No + noun with a positive verb. Any + noun after a negative verb, in questions, or for 'it does not matter which'. None stands alone or goes before of. Not goes with a verb or an adjective.

  1. any
  2. None
  3. none
  4. any
  5. not

D. Neither (of) is for exactly two people or things. None (of) is for three or more, or for an amount of something you cannot count, like milk.

  1. neither
  2. none
  3. none
  4. Neither
  5. None

E. Not … any + noun = no + noun with a positive verb. Not one of = none of. There wasn't any (with no noun) = there was none. Use only one negative word.

  1. We have no time for breakfast. / We have got no time for breakfast.
  2. The bakery doesn't have any bread today. / The bakery hasn't got any bread today.
  3. I asked for some ice, but there was none.
  4. None of my neighbours heard the alarm. / None of my neighbors heard the alarm.
  5. I got no emails today. / Today I got no emails.

F. No and any come straight before the noun. None of starts with none. Any + noun can be the subject: Any child can…

  1. Anna has no brothers or sisters. / Anna has no sisters or brothers.
  2. None of us knew the answer.
  3. Any train from this platform will take you to the airport. / Any train will take you to the airport from this platform.
  4. There weren't any taxis at the station. / At the station there weren't any taxis.

G. One negative word only. No + noun; none alone; none of + the, my, them… Neither for exactly two. After none of + a plural noun, a singular or a plural verb.

  1. We didn't get any reply from the hotel. / We got no reply from the hotel.
  2. None of the children was hungry after the party. (✓) — This sentence is right: after none of + a plural noun, the singular verb is correct and a little more formal. The plural is also correct.
  3. There are no tickets left for Saturday. / There aren't any tickets left for Saturday.
  4. I asked two shop assistants, but neither of them could help me. / I asked two shop assistants, but neither could help me.
  5. None of my classmates passed the driving test the first time. / Not one of my classmates passed the driving test the first time.
  6. You can borrow any of my books. (✓) — This sentence is right: in a positive sentence any means 'it does not matter which'.
  7. I wanted some juice, but there wasn't any in the fridge. / I wanted some juice, but there was none in the fridge.

H. None answers how many or how much. Any of them means it does not matter which. There's none goes with an uncountable noun. Neither is for exactly two.

  1. 1 d · 2 c · 3 b · 4 a

Lesson: “Any, no, none” (B1), Krumeto · https://krumeto.com/grammar/any-no-none · written for Krumeto with the help of AI tools · Worksheet: krumeto.com

Any, no, none — worksheet | Krumeto