Montse
When should I use anyone and someone? Or anything and something? Is there a difference?
Oct 29, 2017 4:59 PM
Answers · 5
1
The simple answer to this one is as follows: 1. Anyone is used in questions and negative sentences. 2. Someone is used in positive sentences You can also argue that we use any in very wide/general situations and some in slightly more specific situations. For example: 1. I am sure someone can do it (This means there is a person or people capable of doing something) 2. Anyone can do it (This means there is no restriction on who can do it)
October 29, 2017
Yes, there is a big difference. When you use anyone it is always plural, you are talking about more than one person. Example, can anyone help me, means you are asking for help from a group of people more than one. If you say, can someone help me, you are asking about a specific person, one person. Someone who is standing close by and you don’t know them. Example: Is anyone home? Means you are asking if more than one person is home because you don’t know how many live in that house. You don’t say , Is someone home, because again you don’t know if only one person lives there and if you did you would say, Are you home? Same thing goes for anything and something. Example: get me anything. Means you want someone to get you whatever is out there. Be it food , drink, etc. anything out of many choices. Get me something to eat or drink. You are being specific. Hope I didn’t confuse you even more, English can sometimes be tricky. Hope I was helpful.
October 29, 2017
Noel is right, also "some" is normally used in statements and "any" in questions and negative sentence: "Do you know anyone here?" - "I think I might know someone / No, I don't know anyone"
October 29, 2017
It's a complicated question! Someone is a more specific term than anyone. Examples: 1) Anyone can learn Spanish. This means literally that every person can do it. There is no one who cannot do it. 2 Can someone help me? This implies that you are addressing a specific group and asking for help from a limited group of individuals. Same principle with something vs. anything. Examples; 1) Do you need something? This is something you would ask a person that looks like they are ready to ask a question and implies that the person has a specific need that you can help with like a customer in a store. 2) Do you need anything? This would be more of a polite question you would ask if you assumed that the person had no needs like a guest in your home that you were saying good night to.
October 29, 2017
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!