English Grammar - SOME & ANY

Hi, James from England. Today, I would like to teach you something. I'm sure that you may know somebody, or anybody in that case, that might, see, I said something wrong, I said anybody.

What are we going to learn? I'm going to teach you about some and any. I said you might know somebody who needs help.

And I said anybody might. It doesn't quite make sense in English. Today's lesson is how you can use some and any correctly and know when you should use it appropriately.

Right? So let's go to the board, Mr. E. My partner in crime is going to help us with some and any.

You'll notice some is in black and the lessons from some are in black. Any is in red and the lessons are in red.

If you look at the little brackets, those are these little things here, each one will give you a small hint, visual clue of how to use it.

Alright? So the first one we're going to look at is some. Some we usually use in positive sentences.

I would like some money now, please. I don't want any money. I want some money.

Alright? So, I am hungry. I'm hungry. I want something to eat. Positive. It's something you want for yourself. Positive.

Now, any is the exact opposite in this case. Alright? So, any in this case, we have any. It's the negative.

So, we want to say something in a negative way. Right? So, I don't want anything to eat. We use anything.

I don't want something to eat. I don't want anything to eat. So, you've noticed here we've got the positive and the negative.

So, it's positive expectation. Some. Negative, we say any. Now, most students get here and they stop.

Okay? But we're going to go a little bit further. We're going to go a little bit deeper. Okay?

I feel like I'm doing a fitness video. Deep, deeper. Okay? We're going to go here.

Now, if you have, okay, if you ask, okay, because we're going to say, look, I'm going to talk about questions.

You notice there are two questions and they can be a bit confusing. So, I'm going to do something a bit backwards.

Forgive me, but it's going to make sense. If you're asking general questions, we use any.

Has anybody seen my shoes? It's just a general question. I am not offering anybody anything.

I am not asking for anything and I'm not generally expecting a yes. Okay? So, this is usually, right?

When we expect a yes answer, when we expect a yes answer, what we'll do is we'll actually use some. Right?

For instance, you look hungry. Would you like some food? I'm telling you, you look hungry.

You look hungry. That's emaciated. No food. Go to the mechanic. There's a movie with Christian Bale

and he doesn't eat any food and he's like this, this thin. Okay? I can't remember what it's called, but look for it.

Christian Bale, you owe me a dollar. I send people to your movie. Okay?

But what I'm saying is you expect them to say yes because I say you look hungry.

So, then I want to offer them some food. Would you like some food?

So, there's an expectation of a yes answer. I am offering them something. Right?

I am not actually asking for something this time, but that can be.

By the way, this is something, s, thing, something.

So, if you see me doing another video, that's what it means.

You're asking for something, you're offering something, or you expect yes in the answer. Okay?

It's usually the way it goes. Now, in this case, generally, as I said, general questions are just with any. Right?

Have you seen anyone at school today? Now, have you seen someone? Right?

That would be looking for, you know, we're expecting a yes answer, but we see anyone because I don't know.

It's just a general open-ended question. Right?

So, we've done the questions. We've done positive and negative. Now, I've got this other one down here.

Look very close, closer. Look right here. Here we go.

Okay, if. If is really interesting. It belongs in the any category.

Why? Well, when we talk about if, we have three ideas we want to talk about.

If by itself, if it doesn't matter, and the idea of if.

Told you we're going deep. Very deep.

If. If anybody, and here we go, if anybody wants help, let me know.

If anybody wants help, let me know.

Well, I'm going to deal with here and here first.

If is being used in the sentence, so we use this.

But in this case, it doesn't matter. I don't care who needs the help.

When I care, I'll use somebody, but if I don't care who needs the help, I'm going to use this.

Right?

If you're okay, anytime, okay, this is the idea of if.

Anytime you're in town, come visit me.

Anytime you're in town, come visit me.

It means, if you are in town, come and visit me.

You hear Canadians go, anytime you want, give me a call.

If you want to call me, at any time you can call me.

That's the idea of if.

So we use if here.

If anybody wants help, right there directly.

We tell me, let me know, because I don't really care who it is.

And then when I give you the idea of, if you want to visit me, come anytime.

Not sometime, come anytime.

The idea of if is there, and sometimes we just don't say it.

Want to visit me? Anytime you want.

This is the if.

So, we've done positive and negative, right?

Positive is what? Some.

Negative is what? Any.

Now, boys and girls, please listen to me carefully when I explain this to you.

I'm sure I only do it once.

English.

Hence the students' riddle with all this.

I'm sure you were laughing when I said,

"English is a very stupid language.

You must say everything."

Second rule, there is always exception to all English language.

Simply because, number one, our language is made up of four languages.

Number two, we don't speak it very well.

Okay?

So, these are not hard and fast rules.

Column James' 80% rules.

Alright?

You will probably hear someone make a mistake, but then it's okay.

You'll live.

But you should generally follow these rules, and you'll generally be okay.

Positive things, use some.

Negative things, use any.

If you are offering, asking, or expecting somebody to say yes, use some.

If, it's just a general question, "Has anybody seen my shoes?"

You don't know who's going to say, like, "I have."

They won't say, "Yes."

They will say, "I have," or, "He has."

It's over there.

Okay?

Then you use this, the any.

And finally, if you're involving the idea of if, right?

If you like this, you should have some.

Oops, see, there's an exception right there.

There's the exceptions.

But we usually use any, right?

If anybody wants help.

If it doesn't matter, the idea of if.

If you're in town, any time you like, give me a call.

Idea of if.

Cool?

Alright.

Hopefully this will help you out, your writing and speaking.

But I've got one more little note before I forget.

Because if you looked, you were probably smart enough to go,

"One, two, three, four, five, six."

A lot of times, students have problems with, well, I didn't put every up here.

But they'll have problems with everybody and everyone because they assume that these are plural words.

When you have somebody, anybody, someone, or anyone, they are actually singular.

And I'm putting this little note in here because I have this problem and people have problems with this.

Because you can look at this.

People have one body.

And someone, I'm coming up, it's telling you, "One."

It's just an unknown one.

But now you'll understand when you see these words and sentences and you refer to these rules, life becomes a lot simpler.

Anyway.

Mr. E, thank you very much.

I appreciate that you wanted to give me any help that you could today.

And some of the advice you gave me was really good.

Alright.

Thanks a lot.

And I will see you later, okay?

Thanks.

If you guys have any questions, you know what to do.

You need to go and get some of your information from www.eng as in English, vid as in video.

Okay?

And you get some of the information.

And you can learn, you know, anything else you like.

Anything else you like.

Calm.

Alright?

Take care.