Unpacking English, Bit by Bit
A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.
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maeculpa
Member Since
August 14, 2011
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1
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As I understand it, "any" is used instead of "some" when forming a question or indicating a negative
as indo you have any?I have someI don't have any
"Do you have some" is technically bad grammar. As is "I don't have some".
The question "did you find anything" is more open ended - the answer could be "I found something" or "I didn't find anything".
"Did you find everything" is referring to a known quantity - the "everything", more clearly defined than "something" which is more vague.
I had to teach this class in TEFL. It is a head wreaker.
anything vs. everything
As I understand it, "any" is used instead of "some" when forming a question or indicating a negative
as in
do you have any?
I have some
I don't have any
"Do you have some" is technically bad grammar. As is "I don't have some".
The question "did you find anything" is more open ended - the answer could be "I found something" or "I didn't find anything".
"Did you find everything" is referring to a known quantity - the "everything", more clearly defined than "something" which is more vague.
I had to teach this class in TEFL. It is a head wreaker.