QUANTIFIERS: SOME-ANY & EVERY-EACH
We use "some" to talk about a quantity or number without being precise.
We use "any" to talk about a quantity or number that may or may not
exist.
We use "another", or "another" and a number, to talk about additional
people or things.
We use "each" and "every" to talk about all the members of a group of
people or things.
1. We use "some" with uncount nouns and plural nouns to
talk about a quantity of something or a number of people or things without being
precise.
I have left some food for you in the fridge.
Some trains are running late.
We normally use "some" in affirmative sentences.
There's some chocolate cake over there.
I had some good ideas.
We use "some" in questions when we expect the answer to be "yes", for
example in offers or requests.
Would you like some coffee?
Could you give me some examples?
We can use "some" with a singular noun when we do not know which person or
thing is involved, or you think it does not matter.
Some man phoned, but didn't leave his number.
Is there some problem?
2. We use "any" in front of plural and uncount nouns to
talk about a quantity of something that may or may not exist. We normally use
"any" in questions and negative sentences.
Are there any jobs men can do but women can't?
It hasn't made any difference.
We use "any" with a singular noun to emphasize that it does not matter which
person or thing is involved.
Any container will do.
We can use "no" with an affirmative verb instead of "not any".
There weren't any tomatoes left.
There were no tomatoes left.
You can also use "not" and "any", or "no", with a comparative.
Her house wasn't any better than ours.
Her house was no better than ours.
3. We use "another" with singular nouns to talk about an
additional person or thing.
Could I have another cup of coffee?
He opened another shop last month.
We can also use "another" with a number and a plural noun to talk about more
people or things.
Another four years passed before we met again.
I've got another three books to read.
We use "other" with plural nouns and "the other" with singular or plural
nouns.
I've got other things to think about.
The other man has gone.
The other European countries have beaten us.
4. We use "each" or "every" with a singular noun to talk
about all the members of a group of people or things. We use "each" when we
are thinking about the members as individuals, and "every" when we are making a
general statement about all of them.
Each county is subdivided into several districts.
Each applicant has five choices.
Every child would have milk every day.
She spoke to every person at that party.
We can modify "every" but not "each".
He spoke to them nearly every day.
We went out almost every evening.
5. We can use "some of", "any of", or "each of", and a noun
group to talk about a number of people or things in a group of people or
things.
Some of the information has already been analysed.
It was more expensive than any of the other magazines.
He gave each of us advice about our present goals.
We can use "each of" and a plural noun group but "every" must be followed by
"one of".
Each of the drawings is different.
Every one of them is given a financial target.
Note that we can also use "each" with "one of".
This view of poverty influences each one of us.
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