We use some and any with plural or uncountable nouns to represent an unkown quantity. People often confuse when they should use any or some, so let's take a look.
Basically, we use some in affirmative phrases:
There are some people waiting for you.
And we use any in negative phrases:
There aren't any people waiting for you.
(Paradoxically, we use no in affirmative phrases to indicate 0 quantity:
There are no people waiting for you.)
We also use any in questions:
Is there any coffee in the kitchen?
Unless those questions are...
offers[1]: Would you like some coffee?
or requests[2]: Can I have some coffee, please?
On the other hand, we use any in affirmative phrases...
In if conditionals: If you need any help, call me.
Or when we don't care[3] about the result:
Come and visit me any time you want.
You can use some and any as pronouns:
I can't find any pens. Do you have any? Yes, there are some in my desk.
You can even combine some and any with other nouns or pronouns to form compound pronouns:
Would anyone like something to drink?
Does anybody understand what I'm talking about?!
[1] ofertas, [2] peticiĆ³n, [3] importar
1 comment:
Yes, I know what you're talking about, but that is a great mess!!!
However, I understand it better.
Post a Comment