Word
not any
Definition
fixed phrase. you use this to say there is zero of something. It is a way to make a negative sentence about an amount.
fixed phrase. a negative quantifier construction used with uncountable or plural countable nouns to indicate a total absence. It functions as the negative counterpart to 'some' in declarative statements.
Examples
“There is not any milk in the fridge.”
“I looked for the documents in the drawer, but there were not any left.”
“The investigation revealed that there was not any evidence to support the claims made by the anonymous whistleblower.”
Examples
simple
“There is not any milk in the fridge.”
contextual
“I looked for the documents in the drawer, but there were not any left.”
complex
“The investigation revealed that there was not any evidence to support the claims made by the anonymous whistleblower.”
Usage
usually follows a negative verb and precedes a noun; 'no' is a more concise alternative.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'no' to show that 'not any' requires a negative auxiliary verb while 'no' takes a positive one.
Pitfall
There is not no milk.
There is not any milk.
avoid double negatives; 'not' must be paired with 'any' rather than another negative word like 'no'.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/not-any