This is a question which baffles many learners of English.
Most teaching material gets as far as the very basic grammar rule 'some' for affirmative statements: 'any' for questions and negatives, and leaves it at that. Then, at some point, learners (and novice teachers who've taught this rule) notice that there's more to it: we realise that, in fact, we use both 'some' and 'any' in positive statements and we also use both 'any' and 'some' in questions. It isn't just about grammar - it's about meaning, too.
So what IS the difference?
The difference is this: the word 'any' includes a negative notion. It's a very subtle concept, but it's one that native English speakers are instinctively aware of. It's also one that learners find very hard to grasp and teachers find very hard to explain.
However, I recently came across an interesting piece of research which demonstrates the distinction rather nicely. Look at these two questions:
Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?
Is there something else you'd like to discuss?
They mean the same thing, don't they? Well, no. They don't.
In a study of the language used by healthcare professionals, one group of doctors was instructed to ask their patients the question with 'anything' at the end of the consultation, while another group was instructed to ask the question with 'something'. This is what happened:
Far more patients in the first group said 'No', while far more patients in the second group said 'Yes'. This is why:
A large proportion of the patients who were asked 'Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?" picked up on the possible negative notion implied, and replied 'No'. Many presumed that the doctor didn't expect or want them to ask any further questions and inferred that this was just a meaningless formula signalling the end of the consultation.
Meanwhile, many patients who were asked 'Is there something else you'd like to discuss?' actually did then tell the doctor about other health problems or symptoms which were worrying them. Patients inferred that the doctor was saying "I think that you have another problem. Would you like to talk to me about it?". They felt reassured by this positive nature of this question, and this prompted them to bring up a concern which they would not otherwise have mentioned.
Interesting, isn't it?
Now you see, this is what I call an interesting discussion.
So pizza toppings aside for the moment, here is how I mentally responded to the study's findings.
When you mentioned the patient having to choose between "anything and something", I immediately thought:
1 anything suggests choosing one thing from a larger number of things (or at least two or more things).
2 something suggests choosing one thing to discuss, most likely one significant thing to discuss with the doctor.
Intuitively and without any thought, I immediately imagined that it would be much easier to bring up one problem than to sort through a number of problems and prioritizing the many possible topics.
Any seems like a large number to choose from whereas something feels more like one single thing.
Great posting Su.Ki. - thank you
POST POST :)
My imagination runs wild.
Did I opt for some because something sounds like one thing and anything sounds like many things?
Hi Su.Ki.,
I also feel that negative grammar forms in English suggest a sense of separation, whereas positive grammar forms suggest bringing together. As for questions, yes "some" suggests something specific (even assumed), and "any" suggests open options (or really not knowing).
I noticed this when students had problems with using both/either, and/or, ever, and so on.
Does that make any sense?
Thank you for your responses, Elena, Ishtar, Val, Annette and Richard (yes, let's hope that the Discussion board soon recovers from this all-time low).
And thank you for the further example, Nikola. Yes, indeed - the difference applies to all uses of any/some.
A prospective suitor - hoping that the person isn't seeing anyone - might ask "Are you seeing anyone?".
By contrast, a suspicious parent or partner - suspecting that the person is seeing someone - might ask "Are you seeing someone?".
A subtle nuance, but the devil is in the detail.
@Troglodyte
Are you talking about being able to see someone (with your eyes)?
Because "to be seeing someone" means to date someone, to go out with them...
Question number one is something a girl would ask you at the bar (hoping to find out that you're single).
Question number two is what your wife would ask if she found another woman's... let's say sock in the cave that you inhabit.
