Tip 13
Some\ Any - Part 1
In the previous tip we learned that some and any are common quantifiers for both countable nouns (in plural form) and non-countable nouns.
I have some apples. (apples are a countable noun in plural form).
The room doesn’t have any light. (Light is not something that we can count).
It’s important to understand the difference between these two quantifiers and how to use them correctly.
Let’s try rewriting the following sentences with some or any:
I have a certain amount of money (undefined)
Do you have a certain amount of money? (undefined)
Do you have money at all? (whatever amount).
I have no money at all. (zero amount \ no amount).
Correct form:
– I have some money.
– Do you have some money?
– Do you have any money?
– I don’t have any money.
We can extrapolate the meaning of -some- and -any- from the examples above:
Some = a certain amount of something \ undefined amount.
Any = whatever amount (when used in a question)
no amount at all \zero amount (when used in a negative sentence)
It’s important to note that in many languages it’s perfectly natural to form the above sentences with no quantifier at all while in English it’s very common and natural to always use some sort of quntifier before a noun. Neglecting using a quantifier results in sentences that sound quite unnatural or somewhat rude or direct:
I have money vs. I have some money
do you have money? vs. doo you have some money?
I don’t have money. vs. I don’t have any money.
