I bet you’re doubting whether to read this blog entry or not. You think you know how to use both these determiners perfectly.
But do you?
Always?
Maybe you DO know which one to use in an affirmative or negative sentence but have you ever heard native speakers OMITTING these words and wondered why?
That’s stumped you, be honest!
If you want to find out why, you’ll need to keep reading.
WHAT ARE SOME AND ANY?
The short answer is that they are quantifiers. Yeah. Quantifiers!
And what are quantifiers? You have TOO MANY QUESTIONS!
Okay, a quantifier, as you might guess is something that indicates how much there is of something.
There are different ways to use quantifiers in general. Some of them can be used only uncountable nouns or countable nouns whilst others, like the ones we are looking at today can be used with both. It’s so exciting that I think we should get right into it.
Let’s start off on a positive note with some
USING SOME
So, when do use some? And when?
I’ll have some olives and some wine, thanks very much.
We saw some seals as we were walking along the coastline in Dublin.
There was some snow last night, but not a lot.
The first thing that the most eagle-eyed readers will notice is that all the sentences are affirmative.
So that´s the first important thing to remember about when to use some. Some = affirmative.
The next thing you might notice is that we use some with both countable and uncountable nouns. We mentioned this before, so no need to be so surprised! But the good thing is that you don’t need to decide whether to use it with one type of noun or not. You can use it with all.
You can enjoy some chips and some lemonade.
The quantity is a mystery. It can be big or small. Or right in the middle. We just DON’T want to specify or tie ourselves down to an exact figure. Got it?
And one final thing before we swing to the dark side (or negative sentences). When we use some, while we don’t mention a specific quantity or amount of an item, we could if pushed, find out how much there is. If we go back to some chips, we could probably count them and say if there were 15 chips or 20 chips. The same is true of some lemonade. When push comes to shove, we could say we drank 150ml or two glasses of lemonade. But we don’t in either case, because it´s not necessary to be so specific.
Some describes more than adequately the idea of “a certain quantity or number’.
ANY IS MULTIPURPOSE
And that is good news.
It really is.
It’s just that you will have to learn this. And memorize it. And practise it. Over and over.
And avoid confusing it with some from now on. And forever. Amen.
- Do you have any cheese?
- No, sorry. There isn’t any cheese left.
- Are there any rooms available for June 24th?
- Sorry, there aren’t any rooms available for that date.
- Are there any Lithuanians living in your town?
- No, there aren’t any Lithuanians and there aren’t any Latvians either.
Any is a quantity. Just not one that we specify. So, it could anything from 1 to 1,000,000,000. Or even more. We don’t make that part clear.
My examples include three questions and three corresponding negative answers, which must mean that we use any in questions and in negative sentences. You can see that I have used any with uncountable nouns like cheese or countable nouns like Lithuanians (and even Latvians).
Some of you by now will be wondering why it is that in some sentences you have read or heard, some and any are completely omitted. And you are very observant. And your question will be dealt with in a later paragraph. But first, let’s look at some and any behaving badly.
That is, not following the ‘rules’.
SOME IN QUESTIONS
I imagine the heading of this section is confusing.
I DID tell you earlier in this article, that any is used in questions.
And it is. Just not all of them.
Would you like some more coffee?
Will I bring some colouring pencils and paper for the kids?
How about some chocolate cake?
Can I have some milk, please?
Can you remove some of these flowers, please? There are too many.
Can’t you give me some more time, please?
When a question is a request or an offer, we use some rather than any.
Any is used in questions with the sole objective of determining in there is or there isn’t a certain amount or quantity of an item.
Are there any lilac shirts in this shop? (a quantity, however big or small)
That is all.
Get over it and move on.
… AND (OOPS), ANY ISN’T EXCLUSIVELY NEGATIVE OR INTERROGATIVE
I know.
You feel just as you did when you found out that the tooth fairy doesn’t exist. Confused.
We often use any in affirmative sentences when the meaning is whichever article is available or that it’s not important which item is chosen – all of them are ideal or the same.
Take any bus that comes along.
Buy any birthday card you find.
WHEN WE OMIT QUANTIFIERS
And now, especially for the nit-pickers. Yes. That goes for a lot of you.
A lot of people are reading this article and thinking, “What the hell is the difference between ‘I don’t eat meat’ and ‘I can´t it if there any meat in it’?”
And that is a very logical question, posed by a very inquiring mind.
So, I am going to do my best to answer it for you.
When you say you don’t eat meat, you are talking about meat as a “type of food” or “category”. If you ask if there is any meat, you are asking about the quantity of the aforementioned meat.
So basically, when the noun in question represents a ‘category’, we eliminate some and any.
When we are talking about quantities, we use these words, obviously. They are called quantifiers for a reason after all.
LET’S PRACTISE
How about a quick exercise just to check how much attention you’ve been paying as you’ve been reading?
Insert the word some or any into the following sentences, where you see the gap. You can also leave the gap empty because no quantifier is needed.
1. Do you have ____________ apple cider vinegar?
2. Are there ____________ Chinese restaurants in this city?
3. Could I have ________ more sugar, please?
4. I don’t eat _________ meat or _______ eggs.
5. Thanks, I´ll have _________ salmon, please.
6. Take __________ of the shirts on the right side of the wardrobe.
7. I don’t have ______ siblings.
8. Oh no. I can´t make the cake. I don’t have ______ eggs.
9. Do you know ________ English teachers who teach kids?
10. Can I give you _________ advice?
11. I don’t need ___________ advice.
12. Shall I lend you ___________ eggs?
13. Use ____________ utensil you find in the kitchen.
14. Why don’t you have __________ of this amazing caviar?
15. She didn’t make the cocktail because she didn’t have ________ vodka.
ANSWERS
1. Do you have any apple cider vinegar?
2. Are there any Chinese restaurants in this city?
3. Could I have some more sugar, please?
4. I don’t eat meat or eggs.
5. Thanks, I´ll have some salmon, please.
6. Take any of the shirts on the right side of the wardrobe.
7. I don’t have any siblings.
8. Oh no. I can´t make the cake. I don’t have any eggs.
9. Do you know any English teachers who teach kids?
10. Can I give you some advice?
11. I don’t need any advice.
12. Shall I lend you some eggs?
13. Use any utensil you find in the kitchen.
14. Why don’t you have some of this amazing caviar?
15. She didn’t make the cocktail because she didn’t have any vodka.
T H E L A S T W O R D
In this section, I’ll include an explanation of vocabulary from each chapter which you may not be familiar with. Learning is fun!
to stump (vb) to confuse or perplex somebody
seal (n) a sea animal that swims with flippers and sometimes hunted for its fur
when push comes to shove (exp) when there is pressure / when we are under pressure
nit-picker (n) an extremely critical person, who criticizes even the smallest things.
siblings (n) the collective noun for brothers and sisters in English
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