Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and I rarely read self-help books. Even so, I’ve heard the phrase “no is a complete sentence,” which is meant to encourage turning down impossible tasks. All very well and good – but is it true? Is “no” really a complete sentence?
The answer depends on how you define a sentence, which is actually pretty hard to do. Some say that a sentence must contain a subject and predicate – that’s usually a noun and a verb, like “I walked.” Others say that most sentences contain this, but that it’s not a requirement. And by “others” in this case, I mean trustworthy sources like Oxford Languages, Collins English Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster.
So: Is no a complete sentence? The best answer we can give is: Maybe. But it depends on who you ask.
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