How to Use “no … nor” In a Sentence

The English language is filled with a lot of different expressions that might seem confusing at first, but when you learn them, are actually incredibly useful. This article is going to teach you the correct way to use the “no … nor” expression so that your sentences all improve.

How to Use “no … nor” In a Sentence

The way in which you use “no … nor” is you talk about how an object does not fit into two different categories. For example, to talk about how a car doesn’t have two wheels or three wheels, you’d say “no car has two wheels nor three wheels”.

This format is very useful because it allows you to talk about how an object does not fit into two categories at once, only using one sentence, and it’s a good way to chain ideas.

By using “no … nor” you’re clearly establishing that none of the objects presented fit into either of the two categories that you’re talking about, and the expression leaves no room for any doubt.

Here are a few example sentences that will show you how you can use “no … nor”:

• No respectable businessman has shady business dealings nor risky ventures.
• No proper home has bad ventilation nor poorly-built walls.
• No good organization has a toxic work culture nor terrible employees.
• No useful car has bad suspension nor a faulty engine.

Is “no … nor” Grammatically Correct?

“No … nor” is a perfectly grammatically correct construction. It is useful for talking about how a given object doesn’t fit into two pre-determined categories. When you use this expression, you can be sure that you’re using a grammatically valid expression that people are sure to understand very quickly.

At first glance, “no … nor” looks like a fairly awkward and non-idiomatic expression, which means that you might be unsure if it’s grammatically valid. Rest assured that using “no … nor” is completely valid.

Some people might take issue with the way that “no … nor” is grammatically structured, but because it’s a grammatically recognized phrase, those people will naturally be wrong. You can easily use “no … nor”.

no … nor vs. no … or

“No … nor” and “no … or” are expressions that are equivalent to each other. You can use either of them, and ultimately it just comes down to personal preference and nothing beyond that fact.

These examples will show you how to use “no … nor”:

1. No new car is red nor blue, I’m afraid.
2. No new computer is going to be cheap nor easy to use.
3. No new student will come over nor give us their contact information.
4. No new dish is going to be cheap nor easy for our restaurant to produce.

Here are a few example sentences that will show you how you can use “no … or”:

1. No wooden desk is going to be easy to get or simple to assemble.
2. No bag filled with clothes is going to be simple to get through or easy to get rid of.
3. No music album can ever be as impactful or as valuable to me as The Wall.
4. No mousepad can hope to be as comfortable or good-looking as my current one.

Alternatives to Using “no … nor”

“No … nor” is a phrase that has a few alternative formats that can also get the job done, and you might want to use those formats as well, to add some variety into your sentence structures.

Here are a few of the most popular alternatives to “no … nor”:

• No … or
• Neither … nor
• Not … nor
• Not … or

Final Thoughts

“No … nor” is a valuable tool that you use to say that an object does not fit into two different categories. For example, to say a car isn’t small or slow, you’d say “no car is small nor slow”. Knowing this format can help you out a lot.