| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| no (adv., adj., n., interj.) |
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| Wherever it is used, no means “negative, negation.” As an adverb it can stand alone or as an introductory part of a response utterance (No; No, I’m not going), or it can modify an adjective: We found no better route. As an adjective it can modify nouns: We have no time. As an interjection it can loudly deny something or express surprise, horror, or disbelief: No! You don’t say! And as a noun, as in His no was very firm, it frequently appears in the plural, especially as the opposite of aye or yes: The ayes were very numerous, but it was the nos that carried the day. (Nay[s] is the more formal and literary noun, especially for pairing with aye[s] or yea[s].) | 1 |
| No is frequently one element in double negative constructions (I don’t get no respect), which are of course Nonstandard. In Standard uses it can be followed by nor, as in There were no towels nor soap nor hot water, where neither would more likely be encountered; or also occurs in such uses. It is also Standard when used in such series constructions as There were no towels, no soap, no hot water. And no is Standard when used in place of not in the whether or not construction and in others similar to it: Injured [injury] or no, she insisted on driving home. | 2 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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