NO and NOT

LEO: Literacy Education Online

The Use of No and Not

No

No answers a yes/no question.

"No, the president wasn't surprised by the results of the election."
No precedes a noun that has no article.

The company had no worthy rivals in the industry.
No can be used before a noun that is preceded by an adjective, as in the preceding example, but it is not used before any, much, many, or enough.
Jim has no argument with which to continue the discussion.
The manager had no reason to support his request for a raise.

Not

Not precedes a noun that has an article.
The virus is not the source of the outbreak.
Not precedes any, much, many, or enough.
Not many amateur astronomers can afford the equipment necessary to study the nova.
There is not much budget left for another trial.
Not makes a verb negative.
They do not want to proceed with the experimental study.

Note: No and not are never used in the same sentence. For more information about double negatives, see Double Negatives.

CORRECT	INCORRECT
The politician had no time left for in-depth research.	The politician did not have no time left for in-depth research.
The planner does not have any time today to go over your suggestions.	The planner no has any time today to go over your suggestions.
The doctor does not have a minute to lose for a successful operation.	The doctor not has a minute to lose for a successful operation.

LEO: Literacy Education Online

The print handout was revised and then redesigned for the Web by Maggie Escalas for the Write Place, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota, and may be copied for educational purposes only. If you copy this document, please include our copyright notice and the name of the writer; if you revise it, please add your name to the list of writers.

Last Update: 5 October 1999

URL: /grammar/nonot.html