LONGMAN ENGLISH GRAMMAR PRACTICE

5.3 Uses of 'some', 'any', 'no' and 'none'

5.3C 'Not ...any', 'no' and 'none' [> LEG 5.11]

Study:

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Write:

We can use no instead of not any. We use an affirmative verb with no [> 13.2A]:

There aren't any buses after midnight. There are no buses after midnight.

There isn't any milk. -> There's no milk.

We can also use no in place of not a/an: I'm not an expert. -> I'm no expert.

None stands on its own as a pronoun: We have no bananas. We have none.

Rewrite these sentences with any, no and none.

1 There are no buses after 12.30. There aren't

2 We haven't got any. We've got

3 I'm not an accountant, but these figures are wrong. I'm

4 There isn't any explanation for this. There's

5.3D Other uses of 'some' and 'any' [> LEG 5.12]

Study:

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Write:

Some and any also have special uses:

I haven't seen Tom for some years. (= I haven't seen Tom for several years.)

Any fool knows the answer to a question like that. (= 'It doesn't matter who')

. - r-lillllf

Match the sentences on the left with the meanings on the right.

1 It took some minutes to see what had gone wrong. _f_

2 There were some 500 people at the meeting.

3 Monica's really some actress.

4 There must be some person who knows the answer.

5 You're some help, I must say!

6 Albert isn't just any hairdresser, you know.

7 Any coat will do. It needn't be a raincoat.

a) it doesn't matter which

b) an extraordinary

c) an ordinary

d) not much

e) about

f) several

g) an unknown

5.3E Context

Write: Put in some, any, no or '-'.

CAUSE FOR ALARM!

'^1 — Children and^2 grown-ups must do their best to keep the

world clean,' Mr Fox said to his class. 'Sometimes we see^3

rubbish in the streets and we must pick it up. Sometimes we eat^4

sweets and we must put the wrappings in the bin. We must all work

together so there's^5 rubbish in the world. Never throw^6

plastic into the sea! There's^7 tar on the beaches. There's

(^8) oil in the sea. If we pour (^9) poison into our rivers,
(^10) fish die. This is called (^11) pollution. This weekend, see if
you can find^12 examples of pollution and write^13
sentences about it.' Jimmy looked very worried when he went home. On
Monday, he handed in his composition. 'Yesterday we had^14
sardines for lunch. Mummy opened the tin, but all the fish were dead and
the tin was full of oil!'
Sardines for lunch.