A grammar quiz puzzles me. None or nothing? just used more naturally in English-speaking countries?
I'm Chinese. Here is the sentence: Niki is always full of ideas, but ______ is useful to my knowledge.
A. nothing B. none The suggested answer is "none". why can't I choose nothing? or grammatically both are OK? Just which is used more naturally? Many thanks!

Question

A grammar quiz puzzles me.  None or nothing? just used more naturally in English-speaking countries?
I'm Chinese.   Here is the sentence:  Niki is always full of ideas, but ______ is useful to my knowledge.  
A. nothing     B. none      The suggested answer is "none".  why can't I choose nothing?  or grammatically both are OK? Just which is used more naturally?      Many thanks!

Answer

The best answer is "none" (= not + one) but I agree with Kathryn. We'd say "none of them".  If you use "nothing", we still need more information: "nothing she has suggested is useful..."

I've noticed the question is exclusively on Chinese websites, and that should give you a warning. I think someone has tried to force a grammar rule instead of giving you a natural phrase.

Answer

The best answer is "none of them are useful". If you say "nothing is useful", you're not just talking about their ideas, you're saying there is no solution to whatever problem you're trying to solve. None refers back to Niki's ideas, saying that these ideas don't solve the problem.

Answers · 4

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