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Expressions of zero quantity

Expressions of zero quantity are noun phrases that describe an empty set of elements in a sentence. These expressions are usually formed with a numeral zero or the quantifiers no and not any and the nucleus or head of the sentence. The head of expressions of zero quantity are countable or uncountable nouns.

Linguistically, expressions that denote zero quantity are considered to define empty sets of elements. However, the majority of these expressions are commonly constructed with plural nouns and frequently accompanied by plural verbs. In this context, countable nouns are used in the plural form, while uncountable nouns remain in the singular form.

• There are not any good books on this subject. (Book is a coutable noun)
• We are likely to see zero growth on the market this year. (Growth is an uncountable noun)

Additionally, countable nouns may remain in the singular when only a single instance is presumed semantically (e.g., "no husband", "no mother") or in fixed expressions (e.g., "no problem," "no idea").

• She has no husband (Husband is a countable noun, but it is a term presumed to refer to a single instance)
• They see no problem with the car (Problem is a countable noun, yet it is used in a fixed expression)

In English, there are a number of collocations, normally combined with no, used with singular nouns. Most of them are formed with uncountable nouns. Some examples are: no amount, no time, no access, no support, no need, no evidence, no energy, no money, no information.

In some languages like French, phrases such as "pas de" are used to indicate zero quantity, often followed by a noun in the plural form (e.g., "pas de livres" [no books]). In other languages, singular nouns are preferred in this context. In Spanish, for instance, the expression "ningún" is utilized similarly, typically preceding a singular noun to convey the absence of that noun (e.g., "ningún libro" [*no book]).