The plural form for “no comment” or “no comments” creates an interesting problem in English. Usually, it makes sense to talk about “comments” as the plural, but this article will explore which one is correct and when to use them.
“No Comment” Or “No Comments”: Which Is Correct?
“No comment” is correct when you’re only referring to one person giving an opinion, even if it’s more than one opinion. It’s more common to hear “no comment.” “No comments” is correct when you’re referring to multiple people sharing either the same or different opinions.
Both phrases are correct. It mostly depends on the context for why you’re using it as to which one makes the most sense for you.
The definition of “comment,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “something that you say or write that expresses your opinion.” Therefore, “no comment” means you don’t want to express your opinion.
Is “No Comment” Or “No Comments” Used The Most?
Many non-native speakers believe that “no comments” is more common. However, unlike most other plural language rules in English, this doesn’t seem to be the case.
According to this graph, “no comment” is the most popular phrase, and it’s always been vastly more popular than “no comments.”
There are plenty of situations where you would hear “no comment” mentioned. One of the most obvious that you might have come across yourself is in a legal sense. If a police officer asks a criminal an incriminating question, they can reply “no comment” to stop themselves from tripping up.
Is “There Is No Comment” Or “There Are No Comments” Used The Most?
“No comment” on its own isn’t the only thing that we can look at, either. Using the phrases “there is no comment” or “there are no comments” can tell us whether one of them is more popular than the other.
According to this graph, “there is no comment” is the more popular of the two phrases. However, in this graph, they’re much closer in popularity than in the previous one.
This is where the context is key for the popularity of the phrases. There are cases where “there is no comment” works and other instances where “there are no comments work.” It’s all dependent on the rest of the sentence.
If we’re talking about a singular comment or opinion, “there is no comment” works. Again, this could refer to a series of comments or opinions just as easily.
- There is no comment from the criminal.
“There are no comments” generally gets used more when we expect to see a collection of comments. It’s often not referring to direct opinions but rather actual statements that a group of people makes.
- There are no comments to mention from the public.
To help you understand better:
- “No comment:” One person giving one or more opinions.
- “No comments:” Multiple people sharing their opinions.
Is It “I Have No Comment” Or “I Have No Comments”?
As we’ve stated throughout this article, “no comment” mostly applies when we’re talking about one person. However, there is a key exception to this that we’ll share with you now.
“I have no comment” is correct when there’s nothing we can share about our opinion at that time. “I have no comments” is correct when we don’t want to share our opinion (mostly to prevent us from hurting somebody’s feelings).
- I have no comment on this matter.
This means we don’t want to share our opinion. Since “I” is always referring to one person, we only need “comment” in the singular form.
- I have no comments on this matter.
This means that we’d rather not share whatever comments we might have thought of. The general meaning is that we’ve come up with some comments, but they’re often rude and hurtful. It’s better if we keep these comments to ourselves to avoid any further problems.
Examples Of How To Use “No Comment” In A Sentence
We find that examples help us to explain more about the differences between words and phrases like this.
We mostly use “no comment” when referring to one person refusing to share an opinion.
- I’m going to say no comment when they ask me what happened.
- There is no comment I can give you about this.
- I have no comment. It would be best if you moved on.
- No comment.
- There is no comment I can share with you about this matter.
- I have no comment to make, so please don’t ask me.
Examples Of How To Use “No Comments” In A Sentence
The plural form “no comments” is a little less common, though it’s still relevant.
We use “no comments” when referring to multiple people sharing an opinion or one person refusing to share multiple opinions.
- There are no comments that we can make.
- The public gave us no comments to help us fix our business.
- My YouTube video got no comments!
- I have no comments besides the fact you look ridiculous!
- There were no comments available for review.
- We received no comments, which doesn’t help us in the grand scheme of things.
Is It Rude To Say “No Comment”?
There are a few incidences where saying “no comment” might come up. Depending on those scenarios, someone may construe it as rude, so you better be careful.
“No comment” is rude if you’re refusing to share your opinion with a friend or family member. Otherwise, it’s usually a good phrase to use when you want to avoid passing judgment on something or sharing bad information.
The most obvious case where saying “no comment” is not rude is in legal proceedings.
If you’re asked a question that you don’t know how to answer, you might simply say “no comment.” This isn’t rude; it’s instead a tactic to avoid getting out of trouble until all the facts are in place.
Alternative Ways Of Saying That You Have No Comment(s)
- I have nothing to say
- I have no opinion
- I’m speechless
- I plead the fifth
- I have nothing to add
- I have no statement