- How to use SO & TOO
Examples:
I went to a movie, and my friend did, too.
or
I went to a movie, and so did my friend.
Pay attention to word order. "Too" goes at the end of the sentence, and "so" goes after the conjunction, then the helping verb, and then the subject.
When two situations are the same, you could write a sentence like this:
I like to eat pizza, and my children like to eat pizza.
But this is better:
I like to eat pizza, and my children do, too.
or
I like to eat pizza, and so do my children.
- How to use SOME & ANY
The words some and any are used for countable and uncountable nouns. In general, we could say that some means a few / a little and any means nonein negative clauses or a few / a little in questions.
Positive Clauses
In positive clauses, we usually use some.
- Example:
- I have bought some bread.
- I have bought some apples.
Negative Clauses
In negative clauses, we use any. Note, however, that any alone is not a negative - it must be not ... any
- Example:
- I have not bought any bread.
- I have not bought any apples.
Questions
In questions, we usually use any.
- Example:
- Have you bought any bread?
- Have you bought any apples?
Compound Words with some & any
Some & any can also be part of compound words such as:
- something / anything
- someone / anyone
- somewhere / anywhere
Note that some & any have to be used with a noun while compound words with some & any can stand on their own.
- Example:
- I have bought some bread.
- I have bought something.
However, some and any need not stand directly before the noun. Sometimes, the noun appears somewhere before some or any and is not repeated. So if you are not sure whether to use some or something for example, check if there is a noun in the sentence that you can place after some.
- Example:
- I do not have to buy bread. Rachel has already bought some [bread].
Exceptions
Positive Clauses with Any
We usually use some in positive clauses. But after never, without, hardly, we use any.
- Example:
- We never go anywhere.
- She did her homework without any help.
- There’s hardly anyone here.
Also in if clauses, we usually use any.
- Example:
- If there is anything to do, just call me.
Questions with Some
We usually use any in questions. But if we expect or want the other to answer ‚yes‘, we use some.
- Example:
- Have you got any brothers and sisters?
→ some people have brothers or sisters, others don't - we cannot expect the answer to be ‚yes‘ - Would you like some biscuits?
→ we offer something and want to encourage the other to say ‚ja‘
