Learn English – “Not a thing” versus “nothing”

differenceusage

"It's very kind of you to look after the baby all day."
"Oh, that's all right, it was nothing, I enjoy it."

In this case, could nothing be replaced by not a thing? What's the difference between nothing and not a thing in general?

Best Answer

I think that "not a thing" is used for specifically referring to an actual set of items, whereas in your example it is not.

In these sentences, I have replaced "nothing" with "not a thing".

Correct: Not a thing was stolen when I left the shop unlocked.

Correct: Not a thing is preventing someone from getting in.

Incorrect: I've installed a new lock for you. Don't thank me; it was not a thing.

I feel that "nothing" in the context of politely refusing praise cannot be replaced by "not a thing".

Side note:

"not a thing" can be expanded to "not a single a thing" and "not even a single thing" for emphasis.