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Unit 86 · Pronouns and determiners

no/none/any nothing/nobody etc.

Study

A

We use no + noun (no bus, no shops etc.).

no = not a or not any:

›

We had to walk home. There was no bus. (= There wasn't a bus.)

›

Sarah will have no trouble finding a job. (= Sarah won't have any trouble ...)

›

There were no shops open. (= There weren't any shops open.)

You can use no + noun at the beginning of a sentence:

›

No reason was given for the change of plan.

We use none without a noun:

›

'How much money do you have?' 'None.' (= no money)

›

All the tickets have been sold. There are none left. (= no tickets left)

Or we use none of ... :

›

This money is all yours. None of it is mine.

Compare no, none and any:

›

I have no luggage.

›

'How much luggage do you have?' 'None.' or 'I don't have any.'

After none of + plural (none of the students, none of them etc.) the verb can be singular or plural:

›

None of the students were happy. or None of the students was happy.

B

You can use these words at the beginning of a sentence or alone (as answers to questions):

›

'What's going to happen?' 'Nobody knows. / No-one knows.'

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'What happened?' 'Nothing.'

›

'Where are you going?' 'Nowhere. I'm staying here.'

You can also use these words after a verb, especially after be and have:

›

The house is empty. There's nobody living there.

›

We had nothing to eat.

nothing/nobody etc. = not + anything/anybody etc. :

›

I said nothing. = I didn't say anything.

›

Jane told nobody about her plans. = Jane didn't tell anybody about her plans.

›

They have nowhere to live. = They don't have anywhere to live.

With nothing/nobody etc., we do not use a negative verb (isn't, didn't etc.):

›

I said nothing. (not I didn't say nothing)

C

After nobody/no-one you can use they/them/their (see also Unit 85E):

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Nobody is perfect, are they? (= is he or she perfect?)

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No-one did what I asked them to do. (= him or her)

›

Nobody in the class did their homework. (= his or her homework)

D

Sometimes any/anything/anybody etc. means 'it doesn't matter which/what/who' (see Unit 85D).

Compare no- and any-:

›

There was no bus, so we walked home.

›

You can take any bus. They all go to the centre. (= it doesn't matter which bus)

›

'What do you want to eat?' 'Nothing. I'm not hungry.'

›

I'm so hungry. I could eat anything. (= it doesn't matter what)

›

It's a difficult job. Nobody wants to do it.

›

It's a very easy job. Anybody can do it. (= it doesn't matter who)

→ some and any ➜ Unit 85 none of ... ➜ Unit 88 any bigger / no better etc. ➜ Unit 106B

Exercises (4)

0/4 exercises checked
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86.1

Complete these sentences with no, none or any.

  1. 1
    It was a public holiday, so there were shops open.example
  2. 2
    I don't have money. Can you lend me some?example
  3. 3
    We had to walk home. There were taxis.
  4. 4
    We had to walk home. There weren't taxis.
  5. 5
    'How many eggs do we have?' ' . Shall I get some?'
  6. 6
    There's nowhere to cross the river. There's bridge.
  7. 7
    We took a few pictures, but of them were very good.
  8. 8
    'Did you take lots of pictures?' 'No, I didn't take .'
  9. 9
    I had to do what I did. I had alternative.
  10. 10
    I don't like of this furniture. It's horrible.
  11. 11
    We cancelled the party because of the people we invited were able to come.
  12. 12
    Everyone knows they are getting married. It's secret.
  13. 13
    The two books are exactly the same. There isn't difference.
  14. 14
    'Do you know where Chris is?' 'I'm sorry. I have idea.'
86.2

Answer these questions using none/nobody/nothing/nowhere.

  1. 1
    What did you do at the weekend?
    . It was very boring.example
  2. 2
    Who are you waiting for?
    . I'm just standing here.
  3. 3
    How much bread did you buy?
    . We already have enough.
  4. 4
    Where are you going?
    . I'm staying here.
  5. 5
    How many books have you read this year?
    . I don't read books.
  6. 6
    How much does it cost to get into the museum?
    . It's free.
  7. 7
    Now answer the same questions using any/anybody/anything/anywhere.
    (1) I didn't do .example
  8. 8
    (2) I'm not waiting for .
  9. 9
    (3) I didn't buy (bread).
  10. 10
    (4) I'm not going .
  11. 11
    (5) I haven't read (books).
  12. 12
    (6) It doesn't cost .
86.3

Complete these sentences with no- or any- + -body/-thing/-where.

  1. 1
    I don't want to drink. I'm not thirsty.example
  2. 2
    The bus was completely empty. There was on it.
  3. 3
    'Where did you go for your holidays?' ' . I didn't go away.'
  4. 4
    'Can you smell gas?' 'No, I can't smell .'
  5. 5
    Everybody seemed satisfied. complained.
  6. 6
    Let's go away. We can go you like.
  7. 7
    The town is still the same as it was years ago. has changed.
  8. 8
    'What did you buy?' ' . I couldn't find I wanted.'
  9. 9
    There was complete silence in the room. said .
86.4

Which is right?

  1. 1
    She didn't tell nobody / anybody about her plans.
  2. 2
    The accident looked bad, but fortunately nobody / anybody was seriously injured.
  3. 3
    I looked out of the window, but I couldn't see no-one / anyone.
  4. 4
    The exam is very easy. Nobody / Anybody can pass it.
  5. 5
    'What's in that box?' 'Nothing / Anything. It's empty.'
  6. 6
    The future is uncertain. Nothing / Anything is possible.
  7. 7
    I don't know nothing / anything about economics.
  8. 8
    I'll try and answer no / any questions you ask me.
  9. 9
    'Who were you talking to just now?' 'No-one / Anyone. I wasn't talking to no-one / anyone.'