# "No" is not a sentence **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 25, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247 "2005-03-25T20:28:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/1 "2005-03-25T20:28:46Z")
Dozens of times a day, people post in the form, “No. The reason is that…” “No” is not a sentence. Sentences have subjects and objects. That one has neither. Therefore, it requires no period. Unless you’re writing ad copy for a steam-powered automobile in 1902, you do not put a period after a single word. It makes you sound like a schoolmarmish scold, which I am fully aware I am being right now. Try, “No - the reason is that…” or “No, the reason is that…”. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/2 "2005-03-25T20:30:28Z")
Really? Wow! ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/3 "2005-03-25T20:30:30Z")
Before someone jumps all over me, the mark in the suggested sentence I gave was supposed to be a dash (–), not a hyphen (-). ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/4 "2005-03-25T20:33:14Z")
No!? ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/5 "2005-03-25T20:35:35Z")
With apologies to our English cousins, bollocks. I submit the case where one answers ‘No.’ to an asked question, then begins an unrelated sentence. Punctuation exists to describe how words are spoken. Periods for full stops, commas for pauses, exclamation points for emphasis, et cetera. A full-stop after ‘No.’ is thus perfectly acceptable, if one intends a full stop. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/6 "2005-03-25T20:38:32Z")
[The master disagrees](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a980529c.html). Is no a sentence? Yes! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/7 "2005-03-25T20:39:03Z")
What’s the difference? One pixel maybe. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/8 "2005-03-25T20:39:04Z")
Well, it sort of can be a sentence, because “no” can be used as an interjection and interjections are often punctuated as sentences. Such as: Wow! Dude! Fuck! (Used here in the “Fuck! I just shit myself.” declarative sense, not the “(You) Fuck!” imperative sense). So it’s not a “proper” sentence, but it’s not wrong to punctuate it as one. In diagramming such a “sentence” is plotted on a single straight line. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/9 "2005-03-25T20:41:04Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > Sentences have subjects and objects. Well if we’re going to be pendants, that’s not true either. Sentences must have a subject and a verb. And even the subject can be dropped in some cases. Stop! ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/10 "2005-03-25T20:42:40Z")
> [@belladonna](#): > > Well if we’re going to be **pendants** , that’s not true either. Sentences must have a subject and a verb. And even the subject can be dropped in some cases. > > Stop! Gaudere’s Law. Pedants, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/11 "2005-03-25T20:44:17Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Gaudere’s Law. Pedants, isn’t it? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/12 "2005-03-25T20:46:25Z")
> [@continuity eror](#): > > Well, it sort of can be a sentence, because “no” can be used as an interjection and interjections are often punctuated as sentences. Actually, I’ve heard that: Interjections! show excitement or emotion They’re generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point or by a comma when the feeling’s not as strong. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/13 "2005-03-25T20:46:32Z")
Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/14 "2005-03-25T20:46:42Z")
> [@belladonna](#): > > Well if we’re going to be pe **n** dants Couldn’t just leave that one dangling. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/15 "2005-03-25T20:49:14Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Actually, I’ve heard that: Interjections! show excitement or emotion > They’re generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point > or by a comma when the feeling’s not as strong. Hallelujah! ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/16 "2005-03-25T20:52:24Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Gaudere’s Law. Pedants, isn’t it? Naturally. Just doing my part. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/17 "2005-03-25T20:53:11Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Hallelujah! Darn. That’s the end. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/18 "2005-03-25T20:54:50Z")
That was how they described it back in my grade school days. For instance, the subject in the sentence, “Run away!!” is an understood ‘You’. Same deal with ‘No.’ or ‘Sure.’ or a lot of other one-word responses. They’re sentences; their subject and verb are, by implication, those of the sentence they’re responding to. “Will you take out the trash?” “No.” means: “Will you take out the trash?” “No, I won’t take out the trash.” Our language has evolved in a way that doesn’t require unneccesary repetition. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/19 "2005-03-25T20:56:32Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Couldn’t just leave that one dangling. 😃 :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247/20 "2005-03-25T20:59:31Z")
My goodnes, you mean I’ve been inadvertantly teaching my children incorrect grammar all this time? “Can I stay up late?” “No.” “I don’t want green beans. Can I have ice cream instead?” “No.” Frequently, “no” all by itself can be very effective. I shouldn’t have to add an explanation. So there. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-is-not-a-sentence/296247.md?page=2)