A: Do you want something to drink?
B: Sure! Do you have any juice?
A: Yes. I think there's some in the fridge.
Some & Any
Some is used in positive sentences. Any is used in negative sentences:
There are some cars on the road.
There aren't any cars on the road.
I drank some coffee this morning.
I didn't drink any tea this morning.
English speakers usually (but not always) use any in questions:
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Are there any good movies to watch?
Did you buy any clothes at the mall?
Some is used in questions when we are offering something or requesting (asking for) something:
Do you want some water?
Would you like some help?
May I have some more bread?
Could I borrow some money?
Use some and any with plural nouns or uncountable nouns. Use a/an with singular nouns:
- She gave me some candy.
- I don't want a piece of cake.
- There aren't any windows in the room.
- Do you want an orange?
- She doesn't eat any meat.
- There are some books on the table.
It's possible to use any with singular nouns in English, but this gives the meaning, "It doesn't matter which":
She is so smart. She can go to any university she wants.
Any student could answer this question because it's so easy.
No
Sometimes English speakers use no to give sentences a strong negative meaning:
- No student will pass the test on Monday if they don't study.
- There is no space to sit.
- I have no idea.
In this usage, no means not any or not a:
I have no money.
I don't have any money.
There's no holiday in March.
There isn't a holiday in March.
I did no exercise yesterday.
I didn't do any exercise yesterday.
| negative + any | positive + no |
|---|---|
| I don't have any brothers. | I have no brothers. |
| He didn't take any photos. | He took no photos. |
| There weren't any stores open. | There were no stores open. |
Some, Any, & None as Pronouns
Just like quantifiers, some and any can be used as pronouns. No cannot. Use none instead:
A: Who ate the cake?
B: Jill had some, but I didn't have any.
There's salt in the soup, but there's none on the potatoes.
A: Who wants coffee?
B: I'll have some, please.
Something, Anything, & Nothing
These pronouns follow the same rules as above:
- something
- someone
- somebody
- somewhere
- anything
- anyone
- anybody
- anywhere
- nothing
- no one
- nobody
- nowhere
Let's go somewhere this summer.
There's nobody in the car.
I didn't go anywhere last night. I just stayed home.
Somebody is calling you. Your phone is ringing.
There is no difference in meaning between ...one and ...body:
- Someone is at the door.
- Somebody is at the door.
- I don't live with anyone. I live alone.
- I don't live with anybody. I live alone.
It is common to start an English sentence with nothing, nobody, no one, or nowhere:
Nobody understood the class today.
Nowhere is more beautiful than here.
Do not confuse none with no one:
- How much time do you have?
- None. (I have no time.)
- Whose apple is this?
- It's no one's. You can have it. (nobody's)
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.