MARCO SUCUPIRA LANGUAGE MATERIALS

NON-ASSERTIVE WORDS

FORMS

USES:
SOME may be an adjective or a pronoun:
He wants some money (adjective).
If you have no money I will give you some (pronoun).

It is used:
a)In affirmative sentences meaning 'a certain quantity'. There are some toys in the garden.
I have spilt some milk on the table.

b) Before a numeral meaning "approximately".
It happened some ten years ago.
There were some twenty tables outside.

c) In interrogative sentences when the answer "yes" is expected or when the question is really a request, an invitation or a command in the form of a question.

Notice the difference in meaning between:
Have you lost some money? (= You are looking for it).
Have you lost any money? (= I am not sure about it).

Would you like some tea? (an offer)
Can I pour you some more wine? (an offer)

The compounds formed with some follow the same rules:
There is someone/somebody outside waiting for you.
There is something I want to ask you.
Take the baby somewhere! I can't stand his crying.
The students must pass their exams someway/somehow.
I will meet you sometime tomorrow.

ANY may be an adjective or a pronoun:
Have you got any matches? (adjective).
No, I haven't got any. (pronoun)

It is used:
a) In interrogative sentences meaning the same as SOME:
Are there any toys in the garden?
Have I spilt any milk on the table?

b) In negative sentences meaning the same as SOME:
There are not any toys in the garden.
I have not spilt any milk on the table.

A negative meaning can be conveyed by words like never, seldom, rarely, without, etc.; In this case ANY is used:
I never have any trouble with my bike.
The man left without any money.

c) After hardly, scarcely and barely:
I have hardly finished any work.
There is scarcely any juice in the jug.

d) After "if" and in expressions of doubt:
If I have any time I will call on you tomorrow.
I don't think that there is any juice in the jug.

e) In affirmative sentences meaning "it doesn't matter who, which or what, etc..."
Call me any day you like.
Any exercise will do for them.

The compounds formed with ANY follow the same rules:
There isn't anyone/anybody waiting for him.
Is there anything you want to ask me?
Take the baby anywhere! I can't stand his crying.
The students must pass their exams anyway/anyhow.

NO is an adjective and NONE is a pronoun:
There is no place for you here (adjective).
Do you have any matches? No, I have none. (pronoun)

They are used:
1. With an affirmative verb to express a negative sense and have the same meaning as "not any".
There are no pens here = There are not any pens here.

The compounds formed with NO follow the same rule:
There is no one waiting for them.
There is nobody waiting for them.
There is nothing I want to ask you.
Her brother has already left. He is nowhere in the house.

REMARKS
a) Notice the difference between NO ONE (= NOBODY) and NONE:
No one came to the class.
None of the students came to class.
No one will attend classes on Sunday.
None of them will attend classes on Sunday.

b) ANY implies a choice between "several".
EITHER implies a choice between "two".
Which of those five dresses do you prefer? Any (one).
Which of those two dresses do you prefer? Either.

NONE implies a choice between "several".
NEITHER implies a choice between "two".
Which of those books do you want? None.
Which of the two books do you want? Neither.

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