Collins Cobuild English Grammar by Collins

Author:Collins [Collins]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780007461288
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2012-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

They hadn’t meant any harm to her.

I can’t see any hope in it.

none

5.71 The pronoun none is used to say that there is not a single thing or person, or not even a small amount of a particular thing.

I waited for comments but none came.

The entire area is covered with shallow lakes, none more than a few yards in depth.

We have been seeing difficulties where none exist.

For another use of none see paragraph 1.155.

none of

5.72 None of is a quantity expression.

None of the townspeople had ever seen such weather.

None of this has happened without our consent.

For an explanation of none of see paragraphs 2.179 and 2.185.

words beginning with no-

5.73 There are four words beginning with no- that are used in negative statements. Nothing, no one, and nobody are indefinite pronouns. Nowhere is an indefinite place adverb.

There’s nothing you can do.

Nobody in her house knows any English.

There’s almost nowhere left to go.

Indefinite pronouns are explained in paragraphs 1.128 to 1.141.

Indefinite place adverbs are explained in paragraphs 6.61 and 6.71.

followed by but

5.74 Nothing, no one, nobody, and nowhere can be followed by but to mean only. For example, There was nothing but cheese means that there was only cheese.

I look back on this period with nothing but pleasure.

He heard no one but his uncles.

Indefinite pronouns and adverbs that begin with any can be used in similar structures. However, in these structures but means except, rather than only.

I could never speak about anything but business to Ivan.

He never spoke to anyone but his wife.

neither and nor

5.75 Neither and nor are used together to say that two alternatives are not possible, likely, or true. Neither goes in front of the first alternative and nor goes in front of the second one.

Neither Margaret nor John was there.

They had neither food nor money until the end of the week.

neither in replies

5.76 Neither can be used on its own as a reply, to refer to two alternatives that have already been mentioned.

‘Does that mean yes or no?’ – ‘Neither’.

5.77 If a clause contains a negative word, particularly not, you can use neither or nor to negate a second clause. In the second clause, you put neither or nor first, followed by the verb, followed by the subject.

This isn’t a dazzling achievement, but neither is it a negligible one.

These people are not insane, nor are they fools.

If there is an auxiliary, it is placed in front of the subject in the second clause.

The organization had broken no rules, but neither had it acted responsibly.

I don’t feel any shame. Neither do I think I should.

neither with singular nouns

5.78 Neither can be used on its own in front of a singular noun referring to each of two things when you are making a negative statement about both of them. For example, Neither partner benefited from the agreement means that there were two partners and the negative statement applies to both of them.

Neither report mentioned the Americans.

Neither film was particularly good.

Neither sex has a monopoly on thought or emotion.

Neither parent is the good one or the bad one.

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