grammar question

[mariana guerrero]

many times i get confused about sentences like i don´t have time or i have no time,so how can I noticed about the difference between the use of no & not? do they have the same meaning? how can i know when do i need to use no or not?

[MrPedantic]

Hello Mariana

1. I don't have time.
2. I have no time.

In #1, the "not" negates the verb "have": so the sentence expresses "not having something".

In #2, the "no" negates the noun "time": so the sentence expresses "having nothing of something".

On the whole, the second structure (negative + noun) has a more emphatic effect than the first structure (negative + verb).

Cf.

3. You have no hope of winning.
4. You have no chance of going out with that girl.
5. I have no intention of giving up.
6. There's no way I'll let him drive my motorbike.

All these sentences express a strong negative.

MrP