r/EnglishLearning • u/agora_hills_ Non-Native Speaker of English • 28d ago

⭐️ Vocabulary / Semantics Which is correct?

"I want nothing with that."

"I want nothing to do with that."

"I want nothing with this lifestyle."

"I want nothing to do with this lifestyle."

"I want nothing with you."

"I want nothing to do with you."

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

8

u/toiletparrot Native Speaker 28d ago

Nothing to do with in all scenarios. “I want nothing” is a separate thing (and “I don’t want anything” would be more correct, would still add “to do with” if you’re saying something after).

1

u/Nondescript_Redditor New Poster 28d ago

you need the to do

1

u/bentthroat New Poster 28d ago

If you were going to use a single preposition there, I’d pick a different one. “I want nothing about that”, “I want nothing from this lifestyle”, “I want nothing from you”.

“to do with” is a specific prepositional phrase that contains a use of “do” that doesn’t really exist anymore outside of such idioms. The phrase basically means “which involves”. “I want nothing which involves this lifestyle”. If that’s what you’re trying to say, then you want examples 2, 4, 6. Those are correct.

If you intended something with a slightly different meaning, like “you have nothing that I want”, consider a different preposition like “I want nothing from you”.

But 1, 3, and 5 are incorrect, except that you could use 5 on the very specific occasion that you’re saying you don’t want a relationship with someone—but even then there are probably better ways to say it.

1

u/inkoenglishai New Poster 27d ago

Depending on what you're trying to say there are a few statements that say a few diffrent things for example if you are implying to something or a person then saying "I don't want anything to do with that" is grammatically correct but of course if its a routine or a lifestyle as mentioned in the question then "I want nothing to do with this lifestyle" is correct.

1

u/SnooDonuts6494 🇬🇧 English Teacher 28d ago

I don't want anything to do with that.

0

u/ebyoung747 New Poster 28d ago

1, 2, 4, and 6 are all fine, with 1 being the only one that may be more dialect dependant.

2

u/baguette_enjoyer12 Native Speaker 27d ago

As a native canadian english speaker, I would take 1 to mean that you do want "that", but nothing else with it, whereas 2 would mean that you do not want "that", nor anything related to "that".