It's no good crying over spilled milk

[sicutlilium]

Test No. incompl/inter-43 "A Crying Shame", question 1

It's no good worrying about that now because the damage is done and it's no good crying over spilled ..........

(a) sauce
(b) water
(c) beer
(d) milk

Test No. incompl/inter-43 "A Crying Shame", answer 1

It's no good worrying about that now because the damage is done and it's no good crying over spilled milk.

Correct answer: (d) milk
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can you use in the sentence: "It's NO good or it's NOT good"? I mean, NO or NOT and what's the difference?
Thank you.
sicutlilium

[Alan]

The difference in use is as follows:

It's no good crying

It's not good to cry
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[Rich7]

please explain this, does this structure have a name?

[Alan]

The difference in these two constructions is that the infinitive usually indicates particularity anf the gerund indicates generality.
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[Rich7]

I got it now thanks..

[Watie]

What does 'it's no good crying over spilled milk' mean?

Thank you..

[Alan]

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Hello,

'It's no good crying over spilled milk' means that it is a waste of time and effort worrying about an accident/something bad that has already happened. The idea is that the damage is done and the best thing is to move forward and try to improve things. It's really advice you are giving to someone to be positive. For example you could say this to someone who has just lost their job and you are encouraging them to look for another job.

Alan
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[Saneta]

Hi,
But in the online dictionaries there is 'spilt' instead of 'spilled', so shouldn't it be: 'crying over spilt milk'?

many thanks

[Alan]

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Hi Saneta,

These are simply alternative spellings. It's the same as 'spelt' and 'spelled'. There is also a slight difference in pronunciation as you can probably hear but the meaning remains the same. Note also: smelled/ smelt spoiled/spoilt

Alan
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