Meaning & use
no talking
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
A rule or instruction that people must stay silent and not speak in a place or during an activity.
Grammar: Used on signs and in commands, with no verb: No talking in the library.
Patterns
- no talking during something
- no talking in somewhere
The sign said no talking in the reading room.
The teacher announced no talking during the exam.
There is no talking on the quiet train carriage.
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Said as a firm order to stop speaking at once.
Grammar: A short command, often from a parent or teacher.
All right, everyone, no talking until I finish.
No talking, please, the movie is starting.
The mother whispered, no talking in church.
Common combinations
- no talking allowed
- No talking allowed during the test.
- strictly no talking
- There was strictly no talking in the silent room.
- no talking in class
- A rule of no talking in class kept things quiet.
- no talking, no phones
- The cinema's rule was no talking, no phones.
- a no-talking rule
- A no-talking rule applies in the exam hall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- silence
- Silence names the quiet itself, while no talking states the rule that produces it.
- hush
- Hush is a gentler request, often to a child, and not an official rule.
- quiet
- Quiet is broader and allows low sounds, while no talking forbids speech specifically.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: no talking or no talk?
no talking vs no talk
No talk is not a standard sign; no talking is the usual form.
Practice
What does a sign saying 'No talking' on a library table ask you to do?
Choose one answer.
No talking means speech is not allowed. Speaking slowly or softly would still be talking, so those options do not match.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “no talking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.