What is the difference in the usage of 'no' and 'not any'
Example:
With pencils, you do not buy any pens.
vs
With pencils, you buy no pens
no vs not any
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The word "any" does not contain negation. It is used in negative sentences and questions but it must be accompanied with a negation expressed separately,
e.g.
He never buys ANY flowers. - negation is conveyed by "never"
John didn't have ANY questions concerning Jane's presentation. - the verb is negative
"No" is used with nouns.
He has NO doubts concerning his new job offer.
Compare the above sentence with another including ANY:
He doesn't have ANY doubts concerning his new job offer.
As you can see, the use of "no" does not require any additional negation to be made. The word "no" is the only negation in the sentence.
e.g.
He never buys ANY flowers. - negation is conveyed by "never"
John didn't have ANY questions concerning Jane's presentation. - the verb is negative
"No" is used with nouns.
He has NO doubts concerning his new job offer.
Compare the above sentence with another including ANY:
He doesn't have ANY doubts concerning his new job offer.
As you can see, the use of "no" does not require any additional negation to be made. The word "no" is the only negation in the sentence.
Kasia
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Kasia@MasterGMAT wrote:The word "any" does not contain negation. It is used in negative sentences and questions but it must be accompanied with a negation expressed separately,
e.g.
He never buys ANY flowers. - negation is conveyed by "never"
John didn't have ANY questions concerning Jane's presentation. - the verb is negative
"No" is used with nouns.
He has NO doubts concerning his new job offer.
Compare the above sentence with another including ANY:
He doesn't have ANY doubts concerning his new job offer.
As you can see, the use of "no" does not require any additional negation to be made. The word "no" is the only negation in the sentence.
Thanks Kasia. Any is also a noun modifier as no is. Right?
There is no preference/rules to use over over other for negation....just that negation with any has to be explicitly addressed.
Not....any / No - both are correct in same sentence.