NOT and NO?

NOT and NO?

(US)

Hello!

Are these correct?

1. "There is no an apple on the tree."

2. "There is not an apple on the tree."

3. "There are not 17 apples on the tree."

4. "There are no 17 apples on the tree."

5. "There are the 17 apples on the tree

6. "There are 17 apples on the tree."

7. "There are no the 17 apples on the tree."

8. "There are not the 17 apples on the tree."

If it is wrong, then why?

Please explain.

This whole thing is a bit confusing...

Thanks, your site is great. :-]

Comments for NOT and NO?

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May 31, 2013
Answer
by: Chelsey

Hi! Thanks for the question.

The differences between not and no can be confusing. I recently answered another question about these words. You can read it here:

No vs Not

Here are some more rules for using not and no.

NOT

1. Use not before a noun that has an article like "a", "an", or "the"

Examples:

He is not the boss of me!
She is not the winner of the game.
I was not a happy child.

2. Use not to make a verb negative

Examples:

I do not want to leave yet.
The dog did not eat his food.
The baby does not crawl.

3. Use not before the words "any", "enough", "much", "many"

Examples:

There are not many apples on the tree.
There is not enough cake left for me.
There is not any money left.

NO

1. Use no before a noun without an article

Examples:

I have no friends at work.
There is no money left.
She has no time to visit.

2. Use no to answer a yes/no question

Examples:

Do you like carrots? No, I do not like carrots.
Are you happy? No, I am not happy.

Now, we will look at your sentences.

1. "There is no an apple on the tree." Incorrect

We would not say this in Native English because no does not come before an article. We would say, "There are no apples on the tree" or "There is not an apple on the tree."

2. "There is not an apple on the tree."

This one is grammatically correct meaning there is not even one apple on the tree.

3. "There are not 17 apples on the tree."

This one is also grammatically correct meaning there are apples on the tree, but the tree does not have 17 apples.

4. "There are no 17 apples on the tree." Incorrect

This one does not sound fluent. Native English speakers would not say this.

5. "There are the 17 apples on the tree" Incorrect

This one might be grammatically correct, but it does not sound natural or make sense.

6. "There are 17 apples on the tree."

This is grammatically correct and sounds natural. You are stating that the tree has 17 apples.

7. "There are no the 17 apples on the tree." Incorrect

This is not correct because no does not come before an article.

8. "There are not the 17 apples on the tree." Incorrect

This does not sound natural in English. You would say, "There are not 17 apples on the tree." You would not use the word "the."

I hope this helps! These two words are very confusing and most native English speakers do not even know the actual rules. We just know what sounds correct and natural to us!

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