Difference between NO and NOT
While both of these words are used to show the negative, knowing how and when to use “no” and “not” is an important skill and can make a big difference in your English.
When to Use “No”
No is usually used to mean something like “not any” or “not a/ an”, and usually refers to a noun. It is commonly used in the following situations:
Answering a yes or no question:
For Example:
- “Are you from Germany?” “Yes, I am.”
Using in an exclamation:
For Example:
- “Can I help you?” “No. Everything is okay.”
Using ‘no’ for nouns without an article:
For Example:
- There’s no address on the envelope.
- No decisions have been made.
Used as adjectives preceding a noun without an article:
For Example:
- The company had no worthy rivals in the industry.
Before verbal nouns (ending in -ing):
For examples:
- No smoking in this area!
- No playing in parking area!
When to Use “Not”
Not is used to express negation in other ways.
For verbs, to show the opposite of an action:
For Example:
- They do not want to proceed with the experimental study.
For adverbs which are describing a verb:
For Example:
- Not surprisingly, it was a tense match but eventually the more experienced Australians won.
For nouns with an article:
(This also includes nouns with an article, which are preceded by an adjective, and adjectives on their own.)
For Example:
- I liked the yellow car, but not the black one.
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