I Have No Comment / Comments?

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I Have No Comment / Comments?

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I've heard that either the singular or plural can be used after "no" depending on the context. For example, "he has no wife" but not "he has no wives". However, I am still confused about which is correct?
A1. I have no comment.
A2. I have no comments.
B1. I have no comment on the paper.
B2. I have no comments on the paper.

What about the following?

C1. He has no children.
C2. He has no child.
D1. I have no problem.
D2. I have no problems.
E1. I have no problem with the suggested arrangement.
E2. I have no problems with the suggested arrangement.

Is it true that plural is more common if the context is not very clear?

Jan 30 2009 07:31:25

Comments

I think the plural is usually the better choice if the context is not clear.

It also depends on the question: If it is assumed that you have just one, then use the singular. e.g. Is your house near here? I have no house, I live on the street.

If it is assumed that you have more than one, then use plural. e.g. Did you have good comments on your post? I have no comments. (There were no comments.)

I hope this helps.

omg

Jan 30 2009 09:32:00

Thanks, Gordon. You examples are very good. We would normally ask "Do you have any comments?" instead of "Do you have any comment?" So, logically, "I have no comments" should be more appropriate. However, the number of hits for "I have no comment" is more than double that of "I have no comments" in Google. We all know that the hit counts in Google doesn't mean correctness, but I am still confused.

Jan 30 2009 15:41:09

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Pter-

Usually, we ask "Do you have any comment?", so I believe the Googlificence (magnificence of Google) has been demonstrated once again. Here, comment is a synonym for response.

Jan 31 2009 00:34:06

Hi Gordon,
I see. You mean "comment" is used here as an uncountable noun.
The question is "Googlificence" also shows that "Do you have any comments" is six times more common than "Do you have any comment" (557,000 hits vs 82,500 hits). Also, don't we expect to receive "comments" when we ask people to comment?

Jan 31 2009 12:28:49

In the internet world, yes, we expect multiple comments. In the newspapers, I think they expect, or hope for at least one. Actually reporters don't directly say "Do you have a comment?", they usually ask "What do you think about...?"

Jan 31 2009 19:00:43

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Well, then, "I have no comment" is not actually an answer to the question. It is just another way of saying "I decline to answer your question." Is my understanding correct?

Feb 01 2009 07:43:24

Absolutely!

Feb 01 2009 09:01:41

Hi all,

How about "When comments or work has been identified as unsatisfactory,.."? Should we use 'have' instead?

Mar 21 2012 03:59:49

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I think the plural is usually the better choice if the context is not clear.

It also depends on the question: If it is assumed that you have just one, then use the singular. e.g. Is your house near here? I have no house, I live on the street.

If it is assumed that you have more than one, then use plural. e.g. Did you have good comments on your post? I have no comments. (There were no comments.)

I hope this helps.

omg
Thanks, Gordon. You examples are very good. We would normally ask "Do you have any comments?" instead of "Do you have any comment?" So, logically, "I have no comments" should be more appropriate. However, the number of hits for "I have no comment" is more than double that of "I have no comments" in Google. We all know that the hit counts in Google doesn't mean correctness, but I am still confused.
Pter-

Usually, we ask "Do you have any comment?", so I believe the Googlificence (magnificence of Google) has been demonstrated once again. Here, comment is a synonym for response.
Hi Gordon,
I see. You mean "comment" is used here as an uncountable noun.
The question is "Googlificence" also shows that "Do you have any comments" is six times more common than "Do you have any comment" (557,000 hits vs 82,500 hits). Also, don't we expect to receive "comments" when we ask people to comment?
In the internet world, yes, we expect multiple comments. In the newspapers, I think they expect, or hope for at least one. Actually reporters don't directly say "Do you have a comment?", they usually ask "What do you think about...?"
Well, then, "I have no comment" is not actually an answer to the question. It is just another way of saying "I decline to answer your question." Is my understanding correct?
Hi all,

How about "When comments or work has been identified as unsatisfactory,.."? Should we use 'have' instead?

I Have No Comment / Comments?

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