Listening to a learner’s story; some and any
When you listen to a story, ask: Who is the learner? What did she do? What was difficult? What helped her? Write short notes with key words and numbers. Now the grammar. Some and any go with plural countable nouns and with uncountable nouns. Use some in positive sentences: I have some questions. Use any in negative sentences and in questions: I do not have any questions. Do you have any questions? There is one important exception. We use some in offers and requests, when we expect the answer yes: Would you like some tea? Could I have some water? Do not use any in these. Compare: Is there any milk? (a real question) and Would you like some milk? (an offer). Some can also mean unknown people or things: Some students arrived late.
| Use | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive sentence | some | We have some new words. |
| Negative sentence | any | We do not have any homework. |
| Question | any | Do you have any questions? |
| Offer or request | some | Would you like some help? |
Hello, my name is Hadeer. Last year my class started to write letters to a class in another country. At first I was nervous because I did not have any experience of writing in English to someone I did not know. My pen friend, Elena, sent me some photos and a long letter with a few mistakes, and I wrote back with a few mistakes too! We found some funny words that mean different things in her language and mine. I use a dictionary, but I do not use it for every word. When I do not know a word, I try to guess it first. Now I write once a month, and I have learned some useful phrases. Would you like some advice? Write to someone, and do not worry about mistakes.
Letter plan. Write a short letter (60 to 80 words) to a pen friend. Tell them about your school day. Use some in two positive sentences, any in one negative sentence and one question with any, and finish with an offer with some.