Practice
Some and any: affirmative sentences, questions, and negatives
Sign in to saveAt the shop, you see some bananas in a basket. At home, you ask, "Do we have any bananas?" The noun is the same, but the speaker has a different purpose.
Choose some or any by recognising an affirmative statement, a negative statement, a neutral question, an offer, or a request.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Can I get you some soup? /kæn aɪ ɡet juː səm suːp/
The short answer
Use some in affirmative statements and often in offers or requests. Use any in negative sentences and neutral questions. Both words can come before plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
There are some clean plates in the cupboard.
Why it works: This affirmative statement says that clean plates are available.
4 more examples
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Marta bought some fruit for breakfast.
Fruit is an uncountable noun here, and the affirmative statement introduces an unspecified amount.
Not this:Marta did not buy
any fruitfor breakfast. What changes: Did not makes the sentence negative, so any fits the meaning. -
Are there any buses after nine o'clock?
This is a neutral question about whether buses are available.
Not this:Could you save me
some seatson the bus? What changes: The speaker is asking for seats and hopes to receive them, so some is natural. -
Can I get you some soup with your sandwich?
This question is an offer, so the speaker uses some for the soup being offered.
Not this:Is there
any soupin the kitchen? What changes: This question checks whether soup exists, so any is the usual choice. -
If you need any help, send me a message.
In this open condition, any means that the instruction applies if help of any amount is needed.
Not this:I have
some informationabout the course. What changes: The speaker presents information as available in an affirmative statement.
Read the full guide
Before you choose a word, look at the speaker's purpose. Is the speaker saying that something exists, saying it does not exist, checking whether it exists, offering it, or asking for it? That purpose usually tells you whether some or any is natural.
Check the sentence purpose first
Some and any come before a noun. They tell us that the amount or number is not exact. First decide what the sentence does. An affirmative statement usually uses some. A negative statement and a neutral question usually use any.
I have some coins in my bag. I do not have any coins in my bag.
The noun does not change. The first sentence says coins are present. The second says that none are present.
Complete the sentence: We do not have ___ milk.
Use any: We do not have any milk. The sentence has a negative meaning.
Use some in affirmative statements
Use some when you say that an unspecified amount or number exists. It works with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns. You can say some emails, some visitors, some water, and some advice.
We found some old photos in the drawer.
There is some rice in the pan.
Photos are separate things that can be counted. Rice is treated as an amount. Some works with both kinds of noun.
Use any in negatives and neutral questions
Use any after a negative verb form, such as do not, cannot, or did not. Use it in a neutral question when you are checking whether an amount or number exists. A neutral question does not show that the speaker expects yes.
I cannot find any keys on the table.
Did you get any messages this morning?
Cannot gives the first sentence a negative meaning. The second sentence asks for information without suggesting an answer.
Choose the usual question: Is there some bread left, or Is there any bread left?
Use Is there any bread left? when you only want to know whether bread is available.
Use some in offers and requests
A question mark does not always mean that you need any. Use some when the question offers something or asks for something. The speaker treats the thing as available, wanted, or likely to be accepted.
Can I get you some juice?
Can I borrow some paper, please?
The first question offers juice. The second asks for paper. Compare Is there any juice in the fridge? That question only checks whether juice is there.
Match some and any to the noun
For this quantity meaning, put some or any before a plural countable noun or an uncountable noun. Use some tickets, any tickets, some sugar, and any sugar. A singular countable noun needs another word before it.
Do you have any cousins in Manchester?
We need some sugar for the cake.
Cousins is plural and countable. Sugar is uncountable. Both noun patterns can follow some or any.
Which phrase is correct when you mean more than one ticket: any ticket or any tickets?
Use any tickets. The quantity meaning uses a plural countable noun when you mean more than one item.
Make your choice in a short conversation
Listen for more than the grammar form. A question can be a neutral check, an offer, or a request. When you know the speaker's reason for asking, the choice becomes easier.
A: Is there any coffee left? B: Yes, there is some in the jar.
The first speaker checks whether coffee exists, so the question uses any. The reply says that coffee exists, so it uses some.
You are offering biscuits. Which question sounds natural?
Can I get you some biscuits? The question is an offer, so some fits.
Before you go
Remember this
Use some when you state that an amount is present and in many offers or requests. Use any in negative statements and questions that only check whether something exists. Check the speaker's purpose, then check whether the noun is plural countable or uncountable.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Some and any: affirmative sentences, questions, and negatives"
What is the usual difference between some and any?
Use some when an affirmative statement presents an unspecified amount or number as present, as in There are some clean plates in the cupboard. Use any in a negative statement or a neutral question, as in There are not any clean plates or Are there any buses after nine o'clock?
There are some clean plates in the cupboard.
Why can some appear in a question?
Use some in a question that offers something or asks for something. Can I get you some soup? is an offer. Could you save me some seats on the bus? is a request. The speaker does more than check whether the thing exists.
There are not any clean plates in the cupboard.
Can I use any in an affirmative sentence?
Yes, any is common in an open condition. If you need any help means that the instruction applies if help is needed. This differs from an affirmative statement such as I have some information about the course, which presents information as available.
Marta bought some fruit for breakfast.
Do some and any work with countable and uncountable nouns?
Yes. Use them with plural countable nouns, such as some clean plates or any buses, and with uncountable nouns, such as some fruit or any soup. A singular countable noun needs another determiner, such as a or this.
Marta did not buy any fruit for breakfast.
How do I choose some or any in a question?
Ask what the speaker wants to do. Use any for a neutral check, as in Is there any soup in the kitchen? Use some for an offer or a request, as in Can I get you some soup with your sandwich?
Are there any buses after nine o'clock?