B1 – Intermediate

No, none of, any, nothing, and nobody are indefinite pronouns and determiners. They are used to express absence, negation, or an unspecified quantity. They serve as modifiers or subjects/objects, typically indicating “not any” or “not one”.

No

Use “no” + noun to say something does not exist.

Structure: no + noun

Examples:

• I have no money.
• There is no water in the bottle.
• She has no friends here.

Tip:

• “No” makes the sentence negative, so don’t use “not” again.
  x: I don’t have no money.
  o: I have no money.

None of

Use none of + the / my / these / those + noun

Meaning: zero from a group

Examples:

• None of the students are here.
• None of my friends came.
• None of the water is clean.

With pronouns:

• None of them are ready.
• None of us understand.

Tip:

• Countable plural → usually are
• Uncountable → is

Any

Use “any” in questions and negative sentences.

Structure: any + noun

Examples:

• Do you have any questions?
• I don’t have any money.
• Is there any milk left?

Tip:

In positive sentences, “any” means it doesn’t matter which:

• You can choose any color.

Nothing

Nothing means no thing.

Structure: nothing (no noun after it)

Examples:

• I see nothing.
• There is nothing in the bag.
• He said nothing.

 Tip:
x: I don’t see nothing.
o: I see nothing.
o: I don’t see anything.

Nobody

Nobody means no person.

Structure: nobody (no noun after it)

Examples:

• Nobody is at home.
• I know nobody here.
• Nobody called me.

Tip:
x: I don’t know nobody.
o: I know nobody.
o: I don’t know anybody.

Quick Comparison