Difference between SOMETHING, ANYTHING and NOTHING - Basic English Grammar

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Hi everybody, welcome back to Ask Alisha, the weekly series where you ask me questions

and I answer them.

Maybe.

First question!

First question this week comes from Isik Alexander again.

Hi, Isik.

Uh, Isik says, "hi Alisha, what's the difference between 'store' and 'shop'?"

Store and shop.

I think this question is about nouns.

The difference between the noun "store" and the noun "shop."

In American English, there's really no difference between the two, however, we tend to use "store"

more often than "shop."

As verbs, however, they're quite different.

To store something means to keep something away.

Like, to store something in like a cupboard or to store something in your house, or to

store something in a storage unit.

You're keeping that, usually for a long time.

Like, storing something for winter, or you're storing something for the next season or the

next year.

She stores emergency food in a cabinet.

They stored meat over the winter.

To shop, however, as a verb, means to go out and look for something to buy.

I need to shop for a new car.

He wants to shop for a watch.

Also, one interesting point: when we talk about going to the supermarket, actually,

we usually say, "I'm going to the store."

We always use the article "the."

We always say "I'm going to the store," or "I think I'm gonna go to the store."

I'm going to the store.

Do you need anything?

The store means like, the supermarket.

Or like, the neighborhood store where most everyday goods are sold.

Next question comes from Danny.

Hi, Danny.

Danny says: thanks for your Q&A every week.

My question is about the nuance of "I take the time," "I take time," and "I spend time."

I don't really know how to use them correctly.

Ah, okay.

Sure.

Uh, so, "take time" and "spend time" – before we talk about those, let's talk about an important

idiom that's related to this topic.

When we say the expression "take your time," or "take one's time," it means "do something,"

but not in like a rush.

It means do something at a leisurely or easy pace.

Examples: She took her time choosing a sofa.

You took your time at the mall.

We took our time shopping.

So, now let's look at "spend time" and "take time."

The verb "spend" is also used with something like money, right?

So, when we use "spend" with time, we can kind of think of spending time like you're

spending a resource, the same way you spend money as a resource.

So it's like we have this resource of time, and we choose to spend our time on some activity,

doing something.

So we're spending this resource that we have on an activity.

Examples: I spent some time cleaning.

They spend all day at the beach.

We spent four hours on paperwork.

Take time and "take the time" – those are expressions we use when it's like we don't

really have that time, but we decide we're going to use our time for that thing.

So maybe it's not something that's necessary, or maybe it's not something we're responsible

to do.

But we choose to use our time that way.

Um, so "take time" is used typically for things that are maybe extra.

That we don't necessarily have a responsibility to do and that maybe it's difficult for us

sometimes to find the time to do those things.

If you want to sort of emphasize the importance of your time – the level of importance of

your time, you can add "the," like "I take the time every week to..." blah blah blah.

That sounds a little bit more like – it increases how important your time is.

So, examples.

I take time every week to exercise.

She takes the time to visit her grandmother every day.

We took some time, but we finally finished the report.

So, I hope that helps you a little bit.

There are a lot of expressions related to "take time" and "spend time" and "take your

time."

I mentioned "find time" and "make time" as well.

Uh, maybe this is something I can make a whiteboard video about in the future.

Some different expressions we can use with "time."

So, thanks very much for the question.

I hope that that helped you.

Next question!

Next question comes from Denis.

Denis!

Hi, Denis.

What is the difference in pronunciation: think, sink, thing, and sing?

Great, nice one.

Nice question.

A big pronunciation question.

Lots of my students have this problem, actually.

Okay, so, the difference here.

Uh, "think" and "thing' both start with that "th" sound.

So, I think I've talked about it in a previous episode of Ask Alisha, but "think" – that

"th" sound – if you have trouble making that "th" sound like in "think" and "thing,"

um, you can kind of make it like an exaggerated – you can practice the pronunciation by

doing it a little too much.

So, like, um, put your tongue between your teeth, like this ("think") and then try to

make the sound.

Sink and "sing" don't have that tongue between the teeth, or the tongue doesn't touch the

back of the teeth in the same way.

Sink and "sing" don't have that pronunciation.

Also, there's that "ing" sound at the end of "sing," so your tongue moves towards the

back of your mouth.

So "think" and "thing" have the same beginning sound.

Sink and "sing" have the same beginning sound.

But "thing" and "sing" have the same ending sound.

Think and "sink" have the same ending sound as well.

Think, sink, thing, sing.

It's good to practice, maybe.

It's difficult for me, even.

But those are some good pairs to practice your "th" pronunciation on.

Okay.

I hope that helps!

Thanks for the question!

Let's go to the next question.

Next question comes from Viktoria.

Hi, Viktoria.

Viktoria says, please explain the use of "something," "anything," and "nothing."

Okay.

Uh, to begin with, maybe think of the rules for "some" and "any."

Actually, there's a video on the YouTube channel about using "some" and "any."

If you have seen the video, that might be helpful for you, but we can use some of the

same rules with "something" and "anything."

So, remember, "something" is used when we want to make a statement; a positive statement.

And we can also use it when we make questions.

I need to get something for lunch.

Do you want something to drink?

We should buy her something for her birthday.

Then, just as with "any," we use "anything" when we're making negative statements.

We can also use this when we're asking questions.

We want some kind of information, too.

Examples: I haven't eaten anything!

Do you want anything?

He didn't take anything to work.

So, the final word here, "nothing."

Uh, nothing is used to mean zero.

Zero of an object.

Zero of some...thing.

Uh, but we can use "nothing" in positive statements.

So, this is different from "anything."

Anything we use in negative statements, like "I haven't eaten anything."

Nothing is used in a positive statement.

So there's not a "not" in that expression.

Examples: I learned nothing in the lecture.

He shopped all day, but bought nothing.

The police found nothing dangerous.

I hope that that helps you.

Thanks for the question!

Next question! ..comes from...Yukari.

Hi, Yukari.

Yukari says: how do you use "will have done" and "will be doing"?

I want to know how to use these in situations.

Yeah, tough grammar points.

So, um, these grammar points are the future perfect tense and the future progressive tense.

Um, simply, the future perfect tense is used to talk about actions that will be finished

at some point in the future.

By my 50th birthday I will have traveled to 50 countries.

By 2019, I will have lived here for 10 years.

By this time next month, she will have finished her project.

The progressive form (the future progressive form) is used to talk about actions that will

be continuing at a point in the future.

Next year, I'll be working in a different city.

In summer of 2020, Tokyo will be hosting the Olympics.

In 12 hours, he'll be sleeping.

So I hope that helps.

I know it's a very quick example, but maybe I can make some more lessons about this point

in the future.

Thank you very much for the question.

Okay, so those are all the questions that I have for this week.

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