Unit 4.1
Some and Any
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Introduction
Some and any are determiners that provide information about the amount or quantity of the thing we are talking about. They can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
Form
Some and any can be used before countable and uncountable nouns.
When used before a countable noun, the noun has to be in the plural.
We use some and any in the following forms:
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Some | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Any | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Example
Affirmative:
- There are some arrogant students in this class.
- I feel some optimism in our conversation about the future.
Negative:
- The teacher didn’t punish any child.
- His speech didn’t have any emotion.
Interrogative:
- Did you receive some gifts?
- Did you have some fun yesterday at the barbecue?
- Did you give any bones to the dog?
- Is Sam making any progress as a student?
Use
We use some and any to indicate the indefinite quantity of something.
We use some:
- In affirmative sentences when we refer to something, whose amount or number is unknown or unspecified because it is impossible to know or considered unimportant;
- In interrogative sentences when we want to offer something, ask for something or suggest something and usually when the expected answer is “yes”.
We use any in negative and interrogative sentences when we refer to something, whose amount or number is unknown or unspecified because it is impossible to know or considered unimportant.
Summary
Some and any are determiners that provide information about the amount or quantity of something and are used to indicate this indefinite quantity. They can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
Some is used in the affirmative form to refer to something with an unknown or unspecified amount or number and in the interrogative form to offer, ask for, or suggest something.
Any is used in the negative and interrogative form to refer to something with an unknown / unspecified amount or number.
For example:
— “He’ s got some homework.” = We use some because the amount of homework is unknown.
— “Do you need some help?” = We use some to ask for something.
— “I haven’t got any water.” = We use any in negative sentence when the amount is unknown (water).
♦ “I haven’t got much water.” = If we use the determiner much then we don’t know the exact amount of water but we know there is some, just not a big amount of it.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context sentence.
Exercises
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