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Sun 4 May, 2014 08:41 am
How can the sentence "there will be no rain tonight" be correct? Surely if there will be NO RAIN there will be rain
@David B,
The word "no" in that sentence is a determiner meaning "not any". The sentence is absolutely fine.
We can indicate nonspecific quantities or amounts by preceding the thing or things being measured or counted with a determiner such as some, few, many, etc.
You have some money.
I have few clothes.
She has many pairs of shoes.
The determiner 'no' is, of course, specific. It indicates an absence, a zero amount or quantity.
My father has no hair on his head.
The dog has no tail.
We have no bananas.