Grammar · Free lesson
Some or any? Make an offer and explain what is available
You have tea for a guest, but the milk has run out. Make an offer, then explain what you do and do not have.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
Some often describes an unspecified amount: We have some tea. Any is common in ordinary questions and negatives: Do we have any milk? We don’t have any milk. Offers can use some: Would you like some tea?
Think about what the sentence is doing.
Some and any can come before plural countable nouns or uncountable nouns: some cups, any tea. A basic statement often uses some. An ordinary negative often uses any. An offer can be a question with some because you are inviting someone to take what is available. The question mark alone does not decide the word.
An offer and an honest answer.
Would you like some tea?
Yes, please. Is there any milk?
We don’t have any milk, but there’s lemon.
Some fits the offer. Any fits the availability question and the ordinary negative reply.
Handle the exchange
Offer what you have
Would you like some tea?
Ask about an amount
Is there any milk?
Explain a missing item
We don’t have any milk.
Try it now
Check what you’ve learned.
Read all answers and explanations
“We have some rice.” What does some tell us here?
There is an unspecified amount.Some gives an amount without saying exactly how much.
You have no rice at all. Complete the ordinary negative: “We don’t have ___ rice.”
anyAny works with the uncountable rice in this negative statement. A and an need a singular countable noun.
Is “Would you like some tea?” a possible offer?
Yes. Some is natural in this offer.An offer can use some even when it is a question. Tea is used as an uncountable noun here.
Put it into practice
Offer a drink and answer the follow-up.
You have tea and lemon for your guest. There is no milk. Offer tea, then answer the guest’s question truthfully.
- Guest
Thanks for inviting me over.
See a model answer
- Guest
Thanks for inviting me over.
- You
Would you like some tea?
- Guest
Yes, please. Is there any milk?
- You
We don’t have any milk.
Offers, questions and negative replies have different jobs. Choose a natural pattern that preserves the situation’s facts.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Must every question use any?
No. Some is common in offers and requests, and other contexts can also allow it. Look at the meaning and purpose of the question.
“Would you like some bread?”
Are no milk and not any milk both possible?
Yes. “We have no milk” and “We don’t have any milk” express the same basic absence here.
“There is no sugar.” / “There isn’t any sugar.”
Take it into your day
Choose something you could offer a guest. Make a some offer, then explain one thing you do not have using not any.
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Choose words that fit the situation.
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