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🔤 Grammar Lesson: Not + Any = No

Key Idea: In English, we can often replace not + any with a "no" word to make our sentences clearer and more fluent.

📘 Rule Summary

Not + Any Becomes "No" Word
not + anything = nothing
not + anybody / anyone = nobody / no one
not + anywhere = nowhere
not + any more = no more
not + any time = no time

🧠 Examples

  • I don’t have any books. → I have no books.
  • He didn’t buy anything. → He bought nothing.
  • I can’t find my keys anywhere. → I can find them nowhere.
  • I don’t have any time. → I have no time.
  • I can’t eat any more. → I can eat no more.

🔍 Tips

  • Formal writing often prefers the “no” form.
  • Don’t use double negatives: ❌ I don’t have no money. → ✅ I don’t have any money / I have no money.

📝 Practice Examples

  • Nothing did I buy at the shop. → I didn’t buy anything at the shop.
  • Nowhere can I find my pen. → I cannot find my pen anywhere.
  • Never have I seen such beautiful paintings. → I have not ever seen such beautiful paintings.
  • Nothing did I find that I was looking for. → I didn’t find anything that I was looking for.
  • Nowhere did they go last Sunday. → They didn’t go anywhere last Sunday.

📚 Summary Table

Not + Any No Word
not + anythingnothing
not + anybody / anyonenobody / no one
not + anywherenowhere
not + any moreno more
not + any timeno time

Improve your fluency by practicing both forms—"not + any" and "no"—to master variety in English writing and speaking.

not any exercises

📝 Quiz: Rewrite Using “No” Words (Set 2)

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences using “no” words (e.g., nothing, nobody, no one, nowhere, no reason, etc.).

  1. I didn’t receive any message from her the whole day.
  2. He didn’t tell anybody about the surprise party he was planning.
  3. She couldn’t see anything because the room was too dark.
  4. They haven’t done any work on the project since Monday.
  5. The manager didn’t give any reason for canceling the meeting.
  6. I don’t have any plans for the weekend yet.
  7. We didn’t make any progress even after hours of discussion.
  8. She couldn’t find any time to visit her grandparents last week.
  9. He didn’t bring anything to the meeting, not even a notebook.
  10. The children didn’t go anywhere after school because of the rain.