Some and Any

We use Some in positive sentences. It is used with both countable [C] and uncountable [U] nouns.

It means non-exact amount of something.

Examples:

There is some milk in the fridge. (can be 0.5 litre or can be 2 gallons)

There are some sausages in the freezer. (can be 2 or 5)

He has got some water left in his bottle.

They bought some clothes over the Internet. (1 piece or 6 pieces – we don’t know)

There were some people outside my house at midnight last night.

I have got some experience with this software, so I can help you to solve this problem.

They have received some bad news from school.

We use Any in negative sentences and in questions. It is used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

It means no (zero) amount of something.

Examples:

There isn’t any milk in my coffee. (also possible: There is no milk…..)

There aren’t any shops around here. (also possible: There are no shops….)

He hasn’t got any girlfriend.

She hasn’t got any pets.

Have you got any brothers and sisters? No, I haven’t.

Are there any shops around here? Yes, there are.

Have you got any news about him? No, I haven’t.

Have the got any pets? No, they haven’t.

Is there any post box near your flat? Yes, there is.

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