|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Some or Any?
Some or Any?
|
ronit85
|
Some or Any?
|
|
The rules of some and any are quite clear but still I became confused with these two examples. May I have some/any water please? Could you give me some/any sweets after lunch? Thanks for the help, Ronit |
13 Feb 2019
|
|
|
|
Jitterbug
|
|
In both cases "some" is the correct option, because these sentences are both requests to get something that exists. When we ask for a permission to get something we don�t question its presence as opposed to a need for information like in "is there any water?" or "Do you have any sweets?" Cheers |
13 Feb 2019
|
|
|
ronit85
|
|
Thanks for the clear explanation. I knew the correct answer but had no idea of how to explain it to my pupil. |
13 Feb 2019
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
cunliffe
|
|
I agree with jitterbug but I would add that �any� is also possible in both cases; more likely in the second. �May I have any water?� = surely there is a bit to spare. �Can you give me any sweets...� = Come on, you can spare me a few sweets!
|
13 Feb 2019
|
|
|
jannabanna
|
|
I think it�s better not to confuse the students. Tell them that normally polite request/questions take "some". Native speakers tend to change in specific situations like in the post before, but don�t complicate things for them. Mine were happy to accept - polite requests/questions take "some". Can you give me some advice? Would you like some advice? Could you give me some advice? |
14 Feb 2019
|
|
|
yanogator
|
|
Just to add a little: In questions (but not necessarily requests), we use "some" if we expect a positive answer, and "any" if we expect a negative answer, or if we don�t know what to expect. Do you have some sweets? (You usually do) Do you have any sweets? (You didn�t last time, but maybe you do today) Were there some people in the park today? (It was a beautiful day, so there probably were) It�s so cold today; were there any people in the park? If you use "any" in a request, it sounds like the person you are asking is very unwilling to help, as Lynne was demonstrating. Bruce |
14 Feb 2019
|
|
|
Aisha77
|
Yanogator:  THANKSS!! |
14 Feb 2019
|
|
|
ronit85
|
|
Thanks to you all, ..... and as I always tell my pupils "English is such an EASY language!!!!" (compared to Hebrew of course!) |
15 Feb 2019
|
|
|
yanogator
|
Yes, Ronit. At least we have vowels!  Bruce |
15 Feb 2019
|
|
|
