Noone vs Nobody
Though there exists a difference between no-one and nobody people tend to use them as synonyms. No-one and nobody actually differ in their usage. Both no-one and nobody are pronouns. Since the prefix no-is added to both words, it is evident that both words carry negative meanings. When we look at the history of the word nobody, we can see that it has its origin in the Middle English. If you consider the meaning of the two words no-one and nobody they both seem to indicate ‘not a single person.’ However, you will be interested to know that the pronoun no-one is always used in the singular form while there are times when pronoun nobody is used in its plural form.
What does Nobody mean?
Nobody is used like the words ‘no-one’, ‘nothing’ and the like. Observe the sentence given below.
Nobody knows the truth.
Here, in this sentence the word nobody is used in the sense of ‘not a single person’. No-body, on the other hand, is also not followed by the preposition ‘of’. Also, it is very important to know that nobody is generally used in the present tense.
What does No-One mean?
On the other hand, the word no-one is not used along with preposition ‘of’ as in the sentences,
No-one wished me a happy birthday.
No-one came in time.
No-one told the truth.
In all the sentences mentioned above, you can see that the word no-one is not followed by the preposition ‘of’ as in the case of none. In the case of the word, none you can see that it is followed by the preposition ‘of’. However, none is followed by the preposition ‘of’ only in certain cases. Look at the following examples.
None of you came in time.
None of them told the truth.
No-one is can be replaced by none as is shown in the above examples. This can be done without involving the preposition ‘of’ as well. Observe the following examples.
None came in time.
None wished me a happy birthday.
This explains that no-one can be replaced by none as none too carry the same meaning as no-one when it is used to talk about a person. When it comes to tenses, no-one is generally used in the past tense. In some cases, no-one is also used in the present tense unless the speaker is not sure of what he is saying as in the sentence given below.
No-one comes in time.
In this sentence, you can see that the word no-one is used in the present tense since the speaker is very sure of the fact that everybody comes late and that nobody comes in time for the class. Hence, the word no-one is used in the present tense. In the same way, the sentence ‘no-one knows the truth’ also conveys the idea that the speaker is very sure about what he is saying.
What is the difference between No One and Nobody?
• Nobody is used like the words ‘no-one’, ‘nothing’ and the like.
• On the other hand, the word no-one is not used along with preposition ‘of.’
• No-one can be replaced by none.
• No-body, on the other hand, is also not followed by the preposition ‘of’.
• It is very important to know that nobody is generally used in the present tense whereas no-one is generally used in the past tense.
These are the differences between no-one and nobody.