No and None
Use 'no' before nouns ('no milk', 'no idea') and 'none' as a pronoun — alone or with 'none of the'. Avoid double negation ('didn't say nothing'). 6 exercises.
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There is ___ bread left — we need to buy more.
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no
'No' + a noun makes the sentence negative — 'no bread left'.
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Hurry — we have ___ time before the train leaves!
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no
'No' + a noun — 'we have no time'.
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'How much milk is there?' '___, I'm afraid.'
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None
As a short answer with no noun, use 'none'.
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I'm afraid there are ___ tickets left for tonight's show.
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no
Use 'no' directly before a noun — 'no tickets'.
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There is ___ point in arguing about it any longer.
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no
Use 'no' directly before a noun — 'no point'.
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I tried all the keys, but ___ them opened the door.
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none of
Before a pronoun like 'them', use 'none of' — 'none of them'.
No vs None in English
'No' and 'none' both express zero quantity but belong to different grammatical categories. 'No' is a determiner; 'none' is a pronoun. Confusing them — and combining them with negative verbs to create double negation — are two of the most consistently marked errors in English learner corpora at B1–B2 level. Double negation ('I don't have no money', 'She didn't say nothing') is flagged in approximately 8% of intermediate learner texts according to Cambridge Assessment research, and the rate is higher among speakers of languages that permit or require double negation (including Russian, Spanish, and Italian).
No: Determiner Before a Noun
I have no idea what he means. (fixed expression)
None: Pronoun — Alone or with 'Of'
None of the answers were correct. ('none of' + determiner + noun)
I asked all my friends, but none of them could help. ('none of' + pronoun)
Avoid Double Negation
✗ I don't have no cash. → ✓ I have no cash. / I don't have any cash.
Common Mistakes
Last updated: · Satori Editorial