The compounds of some and any behave in the same way as some and any, that is to say, some-, in affirmative sentences and, any-, in negatives and questions, although we use some- in the interrogative to offer something, to ask for something or when we expect a positive response, as we saw in the previous unit. Examples:
I saw somebody there.
I did not see anybody there.
Did you see anybody there?
Would you like something better?
Instead of I did not see anybody there, we can say I saw nobody there, but we cannot use two negative words: *I did not see nobody there
.
Anybody,
nobody and
somebody mean the same as
anyone,
no-one and
nobody respectively.
No-one can also be written
no one.
Any can also mean "every" or "it does not matter which / who":
You can take any pencil.
Anybody can do it. It's very easy.
Let's see the following examples to end with:
Somebody told me you were abroad.
Nobody came to the meeting.
Was there anybody in the house?
I want something to eat.
I don't need anything.
I need nothing.
Would you like something to drink?
Is there anything in that drawer?
I want to go somewhere else.
I didn't go anywhere.
I went nowhere.
Have you seen my car keys anywhere?
Exercise:
Fill in the gaps with somebody, anybody, nobody, something, anything, nothing, somewhere, anywhere or nowhere.
1. I know __________ about this issue that you may find interesting, but if I tell you, you must promise to keep it (a) secret.
2. __________ lives here. There is no water.
3. I spent the night __________ near the beach.
4. __________ could have jumped over this wall, and stole your rake. It's very low.
5. __________ scares him. He's very brave.
6. There is __________ to park here. Let's go __________ else to park.
7. Would you like __________ to wash your hands?.
8. May I have __________ for dessert, please?
9. They took him __________ in London, and he never returned.
10. Please don't leave __________ behind at home. We'll be away for a fortnight.
11. She needs __________ to love. She's very lonely.
12. They will not sing __________ in this city. They said that they would never come back.
13. There isn't __________ you can do to help them. __________ can help them.
14. We do not need __________ else to run this department. We can do it ourselves.
15. __________ is ringing the bell. Go and see who it is.
16. __________ phoned while we were out, but they did not leave a message.
17. __________ tells me that there is __________ fishy going on .
18. They are looking for __________ to settle down and have children. They want to find a quiet place to lead a quiet life.
19. "Where would you like to stay?"
"__________ will do provided it is a clean place."
20. "Is there __________ at home?"
"I don't think there is __________. Mum and dad must have gone out."
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