In this post, we look at more complex phrases using the word NONE. Here are the frequency and tagging results in iWeb for the word “NONE“:
1 NONE (PN) 929301
Although the English Vocabulary Profile lists ‘none’ at B1 as a pronoun, meaning ‘not any’, there is also B2 idiom:
This is none of your business.
‘none‘ is very often found in longer negative noun phrases, which are considered B2 in the English Grammar Profile:
Surprisingly, none of my parents actually had gone to school.
2 NONE (PN21) 31818 C2 unlisted complex pronoun
NONE OTHER than + noun phrase
The biggest boy band on the planet was none other than One Direction.
One of the names was none other than the CEO of Etagi.
emphasize the name of a person or thing when something about that person or thing is surprising in a particular situation.
3 NONE (RR31) 10669
NONE THE LESS = C1 nonetheless
It feels like a land of broken dreams,
but filled with so many dreams nonetheless.
4 NONE (RR21) 3497 In the English Vocabulary Profile:
none the happier/poorer/wiser, etc. = C2 not any happier/poorer/wiser, etc. than before
1 NONE THE WISER 2365
But unborn children are none the wiser
and deserve to be protected from certain things,
like being alive in the first place.
2 NONE THE WORSE 840
3 NONE THE RICHER 97
4 NONE THE BETTER 61
5 NONE THE POORER 18
C2, the phrase “none too” is an intensifier that is used to emphasize the negative quality of the adjective or adverb that follows it.
1 NONE TOO PLEASED 628
The phrase “none too pleased” is an idiom that means “not pleased at all” or “very angry or unhappy.” It is often used to describe someone’s reaction to something that they are not happy about. For example, you might say that your boss was “none too pleased” when you came in late to work, or that your parents were “none too pleased” when you got a bad grade on your test.
2 NONE TOO HAPPY 553
The wife‘s none too happy about it.
3 NONE TOO IMPRESSED 80 > The teacher was none too impressed with the student’s test score of 80.
4 NONE TOO SHABBY 78 > The new car was none too shabby, but it wasn’t exactly a luxury vehicle.
5 NONE TOO KEEN 72 > I was none too keen on going to the party, but I didn’t want to let my friends down.
6 NONE TOO GOOD 68 > The food at the restaurant was none too good, but it was cheap and filling.
7 NONE TOO THRILLED 66 > I was none too thrilled about getting a speeding ticket, but I knew I had to pay it.
8 NONE TOO SUBTLE 62 > The hint was none too subtle, but I finally got the message.
9 NONE TOO BRIGHT 51 > The student was none too bright, but he was a hard worker and he eventually passed the class.
10 NONE TOO EASY 32 > The math test was none too easy, but I managed to pass it.