Expressions with no

No can mean ‘not + anything’.

I have no friends in this city. = I do not have any friends in this city.

There are no lions in the zoo. = There aren’t any lions in the zoo.

I didn’t make any money. = I made no money.

‘No’ is more emphatic than ‘not any’. Use it when you want to emphasize a surprise or shock.

I have no money. (More emphatic than ‘I don’t have any money.’)

A large number of words use ‘no’ as a prefix. Examples are: nobody, nothing, nowhere and no one.

She ate nothing. = She didn’t eat anything.

I opened the door but I saw nobody. = I opened the door but I didn’t see anybody.

Expressions with no

The expressions ‘no matter’ and ‘no doubt’ are very common in English.

No Doubt

Use ‘no doubt’ to suggest that something is certain. This expression is commonly used in the phrase ‘There is no doubt that…’

There is no doubt that he is in trouble.

There is no doubt that we will win.

She’s got a problem, no doubt.

No Matter

No matter is commonly used with who and what. The whole structure acts as a conjunction.

I will help you no matter what happens.

No Way

This expression is used to express disbelief.

‘James won the election.’ ‘No Way!’ (= I can’t believe that he won the election.)

‘Ann and Peter are getting divorced.’ ‘No way! I thought they were perfectly happy.’