Explanation: Grammatically, they are both correct. Stylistically, however, in my opinion, the use of "no" seems broader, it pertains to a very vast number of situations or context in general. "I'm no hero", to me, means that the person is not a hero in his life in general. "I'm not a hero" seems to go better with the description off a more specific circumstance.
I cannot find anything that backs this up, it's just my personal opinion. Interesting question.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 22 mins (2004-09-16 05:39:48 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I just thought of a song sung by Jiminy Cricket in a Disney cartoon for safety awareness back in the 50\'s. \"I\'m no fool, no sirree, I\'m gonna live to be 93, I play safe for you and me, \'cause I\'m no fool!\"
That goes along with my idea of not being a fool in the overall sense, throughout Jiminy\'s entire life.
(PS, does anyone out there remember that song? I still recall the lyrics and the images!)
I'm still looking for a rule or something which backs up what you say, but your explanation makes perfect sense to me. Thanks very much for your help, Gayle. 3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
Gayle and Hacene, thank you very much for your help. I wish it were possible to give some KudoZ points to both of you, but, unfortunately, it isn't.
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difference between
difference between "no" and "not a"
Explanation: Grammatically, they are both correct. Stylistically, however, in my opinion, the use of "no" seems broader, it pertains to a very vast number of situations or context in general. "I'm no hero", to me, means that the person is not a hero in his life in general. "I'm not a hero" seems to go better with the description off a more specific circumstance.
I cannot find anything that backs this up, it's just my personal opinion. Interesting question.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 22 mins (2004-09-16 05:39:48 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I just thought of a song sung by Jiminy Cricket in a Disney cartoon for safety awareness back in the 50\'s. \"I\'m no fool, no sirree, I\'m gonna live to be 93, I play safe for you and me, \'cause I\'m no fool!\"
That goes along with my idea of not being a fool in the overall sense, throughout Jiminy\'s entire life.
(PS, does anyone out there remember that song? I still recall the lyrics and the images!)
Gayle Wallimann Local time: 21:32 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
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I'm still looking for a rule or something which backs up what you say, but your explanation makes perfect sense to me. Thanks very much for your help, Gayle.
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peer agreement (net): +5