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No & Not

NO and NOT


When to use NOT

To negate – It is used with a verb

  • I do not want to go shopping today.
  • Ask the CEO, do not ask the manager.
  • Ask the CEO,not the manager.
  • You can call me this afternoon, but do not call tomorrow morning.
  • You can call me this afternoon, but not tomorrow morning.
  • Do you watch horror movies? We do not watch them often!
  • Do you watch horror movies? Not often!
  • It’s not often that you see a dog in a stroller.
  • The movie is not suitable for children under 12 years of age.
  • This is not my smart phone.
  • They are not busy today.
  • I do not have time to call them today.


When to use NO

To say that there isn’t or there aren’t any – It is used with singular and plural nouns.

NO does not negate

  • No students registered for the knitting class. (There weren’t any students who registered for the class.)
  • They have no children. (They don’t have any children.)
  • There is no easy way to tell her that her friends cannot visit because of the snowstorm. (It is not easy to tell her.)
  • There is no gas in the car. (The car does not have any gas in it.)
  • I called the client three times, but there was no answer. (There wasn’t any answer when I called.)
  • There’s no milk! (There isn’t any milk.)
  • No candy before dinner! (They cannot eat candy before dinner.)
  • No contracts have been signed. (They haven’t signed any contracts.)
  • I have no time to call them today. (I don’t have time to call.)


When to use NO and NOT in the same sentence

  • Is he coming to the meeting? No, he’s not coming to the meeting.
  • He is not here so there is no meeting today.
  • He does not want coffee, which is good because there is no coffee.

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