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Some/any
Message from roberto-t posted on 09-12-2011 at 07:19:16 (D | E | F)
Hello,
Could you help me please?
Do you have( )orange juice ? I don't see it in the fridge.
Choose "some" or "any "into the bracket
I chose "some"but I was wrong.
Because I think that the subject wants to have a good result,even if there isn't orange juice in the fridge,I think that he hopes somebody tells him where it is,otherwise he needn't say:"I don't see it in the fridge."
Tell me why please,this is question from this website.
Thank you for your answers.
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Edited by lucile83 on 09-12-2011 08:07
Message from roberto-t posted on 09-12-2011 at 07:19:16 (D | E | F)
Hello,
Could you help me please?
Do you have( )orange juice ? I don't see it in the fridge.
Choose "some" or "any "into the bracket
I chose "some"but I was wrong.
Because I think that the subject wants to have a good result,even if there isn't orange juice in the fridge,I think that he hopes somebody tells him where it is,otherwise he needn't say:"I don't see it in the fridge."
Tell me why please,this is question from this website.
Thank you for your answers.
-------------------
Edited by lucile83 on 09-12-2011 08:07
Re: Some/any from dolfine56, posted on 09-12-2011 at 11:30:16 (D | E)
Hello,
Some is only used with an affirmative sentence.
there is some bread on the table.
You have to use "any" with interrogative and negative sentences.
there is not any bread on the table.
Is there any bred on the table?
Hope it helps .
Re: Some/any from lucile83, posted on 09-12-2011 at 14:56:27 (D | E)
Hello,
Apart from dolfine's response I'd say that 'some' mustn't be used for a second reason.
Do you have( )orange juice ? I don't see it in the fridge.
He knows there is no orange juice in the fridge because he can't see any; if he says 'do you have some' he insists on the fact that he can't have orange juice,and that he wants some. It is a very rude attitude then.He would be ill-mannered if he said so, using 'some'.
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Edited by lucile83 on 09-12-2011 18:11
of course gerondif! thanks to correct that!Re: Some/any from gerondif, posted on 09-12-2011 at 17:40:32 (D | E)
Hello,
I think Lucile meant that "some" mustn't be used in that sentence.
Notion of quantity:
1)If I don't insist on the quantity, I don't use anything in front of the noun:
I drink * coffee.I rarely drink * tea. I watch * films.
I just give you a piece of information.
2) I know the product exists, I insist on that , I want a certain quantity of it,
I use "some"
There is some coffee on my coat.
There are some serious mistakes in your essay.
Give me some money !
You will use some when you ask for a product whose presence is obvious;
Waiter !! Can I have some sugar ?
In fact, your question is a form of politeness, you know there are some chips available when you say:
Bring me some more chips !!
It becomes:
Waiter! Could you bring me some more chips, please ?
3) You use "any" when you ask for something but you don't know if the product is available or not .
Do you have any coffee ? (after all, I can't see in your closed cupboards)
Have you got any cigarettes? (after all, I can't see through your pockets)
4) You use any when the verb is in the negative form and you know as soon as you hear the verb that the product isn't there.
I am sorry but I haven' got ...... even if I don't finish my sentence, you know that there isn't any tea or coffee or cigarettes.
I am sorry but I haven' got any money to lend you.
Do you have any orange juice ? I don't see any in the fridge. would be good because you don't know if the person has any orange juice or not.
Where is your orange juice ? I don't see it in the fridge.
In that case, I know that you normally have some I just wonder where you have put it .
I put some in a question when I am practically sure that there is some.
"Do you have some orange juice to mix with the vodka ?" You expect your good friend who invited you for a drink to have some, as he is well-known for his wild parties....
Re: Some/any from dsmith, posted on 10-12-2011 at 04:22:15 (D | E)
Hello,
Do you have some orange juice?
or
Do you have any orange juice?
both are acceptable in English.
Have a good day!
Re: Some/any from lucile83, posted on 10-12-2011 at 08:40:32 (D | E)
Hello dsmith,
Of course both are acceptable, but it depends on what you wish to express.
Sometimes we have to modify our language to express our feelings.
Here you have to use any if you wish not to sound rude.
Re: Some/any from dsmith, posted on 10-12-2011 at 13:32:30 (D | E)
Hi Lucile,
I see no difference in the meaning of the two phrases. The politeness would come from the tone of voice. Or you could add some words to ensure it didn't offend. But I don't see one as more polite than the other.
Do you happen to have any orange juice? I don't see any in the refrigerator.
Hey friend. Do you have some orange juice by chance? I don't see any in the refrigerator.
Re: Some/any from lucile83, posted on 10-12-2011 at 17:08:45 (D | E)
Sorry dsmith but I don't agree with you.
Here we have a precise sentence without any context, and we don't have to make things more complicated than they are.
Re: Some/any from notrepere, posted on 10-12-2011 at 23:18:23 (D | E)
Hello dsmithYou're cruisin' for a bruisin'
I think the point is that there are sound grammatical rules for using some/any and you're just confusing the issue. The fact is, some and any are not always interchangeable and those learning English need to have some rules and guidelines to follow.
Re: Some/any from dsmith, posted on 11-12-2011 at 03:34:14 (D | E)
Don't worry! Everything is going to be ok 
According to the author of "The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation", "some" or "any" can be used in affirmative and negative questions. Both are correct. No mention is made about one being more polite than the other. In my experience, one is not more polite than the other. But feel free to disagree with me if you like. This is my opinion.
For those who would like to read more, here is information about the grammatical rules of using "some" and "any":
Link
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Edited by dsmith on 11-12-2011 04:18
Re: Some/any from lucile83, posted on 11-12-2011 at 08:43:31 (D | E)
Hello dsmith,
There are lots of lessons about the subject on the site.
Link
You gave a link with the basic rules that everybody knows,... hope so!
That is why we'll have to use any here (in a question):
Do you have any orange juice ? I don't see it in the fridge.
Moreover, it would be rude to use some; that is a basic rule as well.
In fact we agree about the use of some or any but gerondif, np and I have only developed the idea.
I think everything is all right now
Re: Some/any from gerondif, posted on 11-12-2011 at 22:01:24 (D | E)
Hello,
when I read:
"Do you have any orange juice?", I hear a question asked by somebody who doesn't know if the answer will be yes or no, it is the usual and normal use of any.
When I read:
"Do you have some orange juice?", I hear a question asked by somebody who really wants some orange juice and whose will is more important than the question asked. In his mind , "give me some orange-juice" is more important than "I wonder if you have any or not".His question could be in fact a disguised order, which could be considered rude then.
Or else, the person is speaking to a friend in a relaxed colloquial way and is too lazy to put any instead of some.
as I said before:
3) You use "any" when you ask for something but you don't know if the product is available or not. It is the basic rule that roberto t needed to solve his problem.
This is what I sometimes tell my pupils:
1) I go back home after school. I greet my wife, everything looks normal and I ask her:
"Did anybody come this afternnon ?"
I don't know if she will answer yes or no.
2) I go back home after school. I find my wife gagged and tied to a chair, various things are missing, a burglar has obviously visited us.
I ask my wife :"Oh ! Did somebody come ?"
I know the answer is yes, but it isn't a question in fact, probably just misplaced humour.
Re: Some/any from roberto-t, posted on 12-12-2011 at 04:51:27 (D | E)
Thank you,everybody.
I don't know that my question can cause such a heated discussion.It,s great!!!
I am from mainly non-English speaking countries,China.So I can't use English clearly.But regardless of any language,first they are a bridge for communication each other,only both of two sides understand their meaning,It's Ok!!!
About whether is manners,Not only consider words,but also tone and environment,like our Chinese.
How about my meaning?
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