As is, your question can't properly be answered. Here’s a headline from the New Jersey Star-Ledger that further illustrates the choice between no good and not good: TV no good for babies, study shows. Murder: Differences In Intent And Degree. The “TV no good..” I would certainly have used “TV not good” for two reasons. I think he didn’t get permission to say hi. Personally, I think it would have been clearer and removed the “Huh?” factor, but we’d have missed out on the interesting discussion. From this cockpit picture I cannot identify this aircraft. It implies that something is either bad or mediocre. Some writers connect no and good with a hyphen when it’s used as an adjective phrase that’s connected to a noun (e.g. I could have said “not good” in that title, but that’s not what I meant. Something that’s “no good” is useless for its intended purpose. Is it acceptable to email an author to ask for a copy of his book that is currently out of print? rev 2020.10.23.37878, The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, English Language & Usage Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us. No good is an adjective phrase when good modifies a noun and no indicates the degree to which good applies. Broadly, no good means “worthless, of no use at all” for your current purposes. Not good enough, where “enough” is implied. My mind stumbled over your header, Maeve, when it was first posted. b) of a low standard or level of ability The movie wasn’t much good. Your explanation makes perfect sense. -1: I would have liked to see some references. What does the の's mean in this sentence of A to B comparison. … and there’s another subtlety lurking about in denial: This is not a smoking area; No good is the complete absence of good. Here’s something that’s good to know: No good means something has no use or value, and has no potential of becoming good. Can lightning occur in stars like the Sun? This is a non-smoking area (which merits a grin). You will improve your English in only 5 minutes per day, guaranteed! “WikiLeaks” vs. “Wikipedia”: Do You Know The Difference? Is it 'no good' or 'not good'? What’s The Difference Between Ghouls, Goblins, And Ghosts? “Not bad,” on the other hand, means “not harmful.”. You'll also get three bonus ebooks completely free. What kind of football was played in 645 Japan? This is a no-smoking area; I’ll be away.’ no good/not much good/not any good for The land here isn’t any good for agricultural crops. No good is the complete absence of good. [Ex: The movie is great, interesting, boring, bad, not good.]. ], No good: “no good” is a quality in itself, in which “good” is one type of quality and “no good” is another, as if the expression “no good” works as a single, modifying linguistic unit. Subscribers get access to our archives with 800+ interactive exercises! “No good” would be “nothing good or useful about it”. Thank you in advance! English Language Learners Definition of no-good. In this article “ms” (manuscript) should be “MS.”, Copyright © 2020 Daily Writing Tips . How do I use them? What is the difference between “no” and “not”? (Entry 1 of 2) informal : having no worth, use, or chance of success. My work must be worthless! You might use it of your radio if the sound quality was poor, or if it intermittently lost the signal. The other reason is that it makes a simple comparison and gives a simple result – that TV isn’t going to improve children’s IQ. thats just what i think . Some writers connect no and good with a hyphen when it’s used as an adjective phrase that’s connected to a noun (e.g. Also of persons, to be no good = 'to be a bad lot', to be worthless. It expired last week.”. Define no-good. All Right Reserved. So who’s politely afraid of no, not and non? It means something is of no use or value for anything or to anyone. Does an AME's advertisement on the back of the medical certificate affect the document's validity under the FAA? “The no-good dishwasher stopped working again,”).No good is an adjective phrase when good modifies a noun and no indicates the degree to which good applies. Deborah H. has a question about one of my recent post titles: Maeve, the title on today’s DWT reminds me of a question that I have wanted to ask for a long time: How do I choose between “no” and “not?” You wrote, “Not Winning a Contest Doesn’t Mean Your Writing is No Good.” I would have written “not good.” Is there a rule for using “no” and “not?”. Who Is The “Jack” In The Term “Jack-o’-lantern,” Anyway? For example: This car is not good, but it gets me to work. 'Not good' seems more of a property of the substance, so milk that has gone bad is 'not good', site design / logo © 2020 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under cc by-sa. What is 'hea' (in Cantonese conversations)? Not good means something is bad or undesirable. Not good: “not” is describing the level of goodness, i.e., “not” is modifying “good.” [Ex: The movie is very good, good, somewhat good, not good. The choice between saying “not good” and “no good” has more to do connotation than with grammar rules. The correct way to use them isn’t that clear cut. “The no-good dishwasher stopped working again,”). How do I politely turn down requests to show wedding photos? “Democracy” vs. “Republic”: Is There A Difference? Not bad, either. to be any, some, no good: to be any, some, no use. “Mary’s chances of finishing the race after twisting her ankle are not good,” means that there’s very little possibility of Mary finishing her race. For example, “No good can come from this evil plan,” or “His suspicious behavior indicated that he was up to no good.” In these sentences, we can’t really use not in place of no because both nos refer to a quantity of zero good. In many instances, no good and not good can both be used. I guess they are different, but I never know what is the difference! Of course, that reduces the home skills that parents teach kids, reduces time kids are with their parents, learning skills, values, beliefs, appropriate behavior and patience.). “Not good” is not as judgmental as “no good.” Something that’s “not good” may still have redeeming qualities or can be made better. What Does The Name “Frankenstein” Actually Mean? No good functions as both an attributive adjective (e.g., a no-good dirty dog) and noun (e.g., what a no good) On the other hand, saying that something is not good is just indicating that the adjective 'good' does not apply to it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Oh, when you edit your question, remove the "Thank you in advance!" At times, there’s no difference, and they can be used interchangeably. This is a no smoking area; What is the difference between “no” and “not”? What’s The Difference Between Atheism And Agnosticism? On the other hand, saying that something is not good is just indicating that the adjective 'good' does not apply to it. No good is certainly the more informal alternative. You would use it of your radio if it wouldn’t play at all, or could not pick up the particular program you wanted to listen to it. Temperature change in Earth atmosphere models? In many instances, no good and not good can both be used. It seems like this is just a hunch. That car is no good; it doesn’t run at all. No good functions as both an attributive adjective (e.g., a no-good dirty dog) and noun (e.g., what a no good). Also of things a bit of no good, quite a lot of harm.