THE QUANTIFIERS

Compound nouns made with SOME, ANY and NO

Some +	-thing	-body	-one	-where
Any +
No +

Compound nouns with some- and any- are used in the same way as some and any.

Positive statements:

Examples

• Someone is sleeping in my bed.
• He saw something in the garden.
• I left my glasses somewhere in the house.

Questions:

Examples

• Are you looking for someone? (= I'm sure you are)
• Have you lost something? (= I'm sure you have)
• Is there anything to eat? (real question)
• Did you go anywhere last night?

Negative statements:

Examples

• She didn't go anywhere last night.
• He doesn't know anybody here.

NOTICE that there is a difference in emphasis between nothing, nobody etc. and not ... anything,not ... anybody:

Examples

• I don't know anything about it. (= neutral, no emphasis)
• I know nothing about it (= more emphatic, maybe defensive)

SOMETHING, SOMEBODY, SOMEWHERE

Examples

• I have something to tell you.
• There is something to drink in the fridge.
• He knows somebody in New York
• Susie has somebody staying with her.
• They want to go somewhere hot for their holidays.
• Keith is looking for somewhere to live.

ANYBODY, ANYTHING, ANYWHERE

Examples

• Is there anybody who speaks English here?
• Does anybody have the time?
• Is there anything to eat?
• Have you anything to say?
• He doesn't have anything to stay tonight.
• I wouldn't eat anything except at Maxim's.

NOBODY, NOTHING, NOWHERE

Examples

• There is nobody in the house at the moment
• When I arrived there was nobody to meet me.
• I have learnt nothing since I began the course.
• There is nothing to eat.
• There is nowhere as beautiful as Paris in the Spring.
• Homeless people have nowhere to go at night.

ANY can also be used in positive statements to mean 'no matter which', 'no matter who', 'no matter what':

Examples

• You can borrow any of my books.
• They can choose anything from the menu.
• You may invite anybody to dinner, I don't mind.