by R. S. Karunaratne

The use of ‘some’ and ‘any’

We use ‘some’ and ‘any’ with uncountable and plural nouns.They mean “a limited number or quantity.”

We use ‘some’ in affirmative sentences.
Give me some water.

Here are some roses for you.
I need some help.
There are some letters for you.
The children need some more text books.
Amanda has got some interesting novels.
Father is having some problems with his computer.
There are some monkeys on the roof.
He has read some books but not many.
Some people are jealous of others’ success.

We use ‘some’ in questions which expect the answer ‘yes.’
Would you like some coffee?
Could I have some eggs?
Would you like some more rice?
Could I have more potatoes?
Would you like some more ice cream?
Could I have some more milk?

We use ‘any’ in negative sentences and most questions.
I haven’t got any money.
Have you got any money?
I haven’t got any sugar.
There aren’t any buses today.
Do you speak any other languages?
Are there any letters for me?
Have you got any brothers or sisters?
Is there any bank near here?
She didn’t have any breakfast today.
Do you know any mechanics?

We use ‘any’ with words such as ‘never, without’ or ‘hardly’ which have negative meanings.

Children never give her any help.
You made hardly any mistakes.
I found his residence without any difficulty.
The carpenter finished the work without any help from others.

She was tired, so she went to bed without any dinner.
In January we hardly had any rain.
She never does any work at home.

[Activity]

Put in ‘some’ or ‘any’ in the blanks and check your answers with the key.

1. I’ve got .......... ballpoint pens.
2. Eva hasn’t got ........... fountain pens.
3. Have you got .......... dollars?
4. She has ........... jewellery for sale.
5. Here are ........... duplicate keys.
6. He has collected ........... foreign stamps.
7. Have you got .............. string to tie this parcel?
8. She hasn’t ............ white socks.
9. We need .............. light bulbs.
10. A: How many children have you got?
B: I haven’t got ........... .

Key:

1. some 2. any 3. any 4. some 5. some 6. some 7. any 8. any 9. some 10. any

Match words and meanings

Here’s an exciting way to enrich your vocabulary. Match the words in column ‘A’ with their meaning in column ‘B’ and check your answers with the key. The first has been done for you.

[Column A]

A 1. crust
... 2. crutch
... 3. cryptic
... 4. crystal
... 5. cub
... 6. cubbyhole
... 7. cubicle
... 8. cuboid
... 9. cudgel
... 10. cuff
... 11. culinary
... 12. culprit
... 13. cultivate
... 14. cultural
... 15. cumbersome
... 16. cumulative
... 17. cupful
... 18. cuppa
... 19. curator
... 20. curb
... 21. curio
... 22. curiosity
... 23. currant
... 24. currency
... 25. current

[Column B]

A. a hard outer covering of something
B. awkward because of being not effective
C. to prepare the land and grow crops on it
D. the thicker material at the end of a sleeve
E. connected with cooking
F. a solid object with six rectangular sides
G. a very small room for storing things
H. transparent glass of very high quality
I. a stick with a piece that fits under the arm
J. increasing by one addition after another
K. of the present time
L. the money used in a country
M. black dried grape without seeds
N. an eager wish to know
O. an unusual object
P. to control or limit something that is not wanted
Q. a person in charge of a museum
R. a cup of tea
S. the amount held by a cup
T. relating to the traditions of a society
U. someone who has done something wrong
V. a short heavy stick used for hitting people
W. a small space with walls around it
X. a young lion or bear
Y. mysterious

Key:

2. I 3. Y 4. H 5. X 6. G 7. W 8. F 9. V 10. D 11. E 12. U 13. C 14. T 15. B 16. J 17. S 18. R 19. Q 20. P 21. O 22. N 23. M 24. L 25. K

‘My, your, mine’ and ‘yours’

‘My, your, mine’ and ‘yours’ express possession.
This is my pen. (The pen belongs to me.)
That is your car. (The car belongs to you.)
This is mine.

That is yours.

‘My’ and ‘your’ come before a noun.
I drive my car.
What did you do with your tractor?

First person singular
It is my pen. (It's mine.)
That is my house. (That's mine.)
Here's my essay. (Here's mine)
That is my room. (That's mine.)
This is my ballpoint pen. (This is mine.)

Second person singular
This is your bat. (This is yours.)
Here's your cup. (Here's yours.)
That's your boat. (That's yours.)

Third person singular
This is his laptop. (This is his.)
That's her bag. (That's hers.)
Here's her bangle. (Here's hers.)

First person plural
This is our table. (This is ours.)
That's our house. (That's ours.)
Here's our product. (Here's ours.)

Second person plural
These are your tickets. (These are yours.)
Are these your bags? (Are these yours?)
Those are your flags. (Those are yours.)

Third person plural
It's their car. (It is theirs.)
These are their books. (These are theirs.)
Those are their estates. (Those are theirs.)

‘Its’ and ‘it's’

We use ‘its’ (without the apostrophe) before a noun to express the idea of belonging.
The dog wags its tail.
This is my dog but I've forgotten its name.

We use ‘it's’ (with the apostrophe) as a short form (contraction) for ‘it is’ or ‘it has.’
I think it's a wonderful gift.(it is)
It's time for us to leave.(it is)
It's got a lot colder today. (It has)

‘My, your’ with parts of the body and clothes.
Amanda shook her head.
Someone grabbed my hand .
Take off your shoes before you enter a temple.

We use ‘own’ after ‘my’ and ‘your’ to say that something belongs to us and to no one else.
I have got my own car.
You must have your own house.
This is his own handwriting.
That's her own child.

A friend of mine

Sam is a friend of mine. (Sam is one of my friends.)
Robert came to the party with a friend of his. (Robert came to the party with one of his friends.)
I borrowed a book of yours from your sister. (I borrowed one of your books from your sister.)

Quiz on idioms

An idiom is a special kind of phrase. It is a group of words which have a different meaning when used together from the one it would have if the meaning of each word were taken individually. Tick the meaning of each idiom in bold type and check your answers with the key.

1. There's no room to swing a cat here ...
(a) there is very little space here
(b) there is too much space here
(c) there is no room for the cat

2. There's more than one way to skin a cat ...
(a) There's no way to achieve something
(b) there is only way to achieve something
(c) there are several ways to achieve something

3. When the cat's away, the mice will play ...
(a) mice feel free when the cat is away
(b) people do what they want when their boss is away
(c) people are frightened to do anything when their boss is away

4. If you are in a Catch 22 situation ...
(a) you're in an extremely frustrating situation
(b) you're in a very happy situation
(c) you're in a doubtful situation

5. It's raining cats and dogs ...
(a) it is not raining at all
(b) it is drizzling
(c) it's raining very heavily

6. If you throw caution to the winds ...
(a) you do not do anything because of the risks involved
(b) you do something without worrying about the risks involved
(c) you wonder whether to do something or not

7. If someone hits the ceiling ...
(a) they suddenly become very angry
(b) they suddenly become ill
(c) they throw something towards the ceiling

8. If you do not get a red cent from someone ...
(a) you get a lot of money from them
(b) you do not get any money from them
(c) you do not get any coins from them

9. If someone takes centre stage ...
(a) they become the most significant person
(b) they do not become the most noticeable person
(c) they get on to stage

10. If you put in your two cents’ worth ...
(a) you make a donation with coins
(b) you make a small contribution
(c) you give your opinion about something even if nobody has asked for it

Key:

1. (a) 2. (c) 3. ((b) 4. (a) 5. (c) 6. (b) 7. (a) 8. (b) 9. (a) 10. (c)