Grammar · Lesson 15

Quantities with some and any

Talk about food, supplies, and quantities naturally: We’ve got some rice, There isn’t any milk, and Is there any coffee?

45–55 min coresome / anycountable / uncountable15–20 min optional listening and retrieval

NoticeLook inside a real kitchen.

DiscoverChoose some or any.

BuildFill gaps, type, and build sentences.

UseShop, cook, and plan aloud.

Some and any are everyday grammar for kitchens, stores, and plans. They feel natural once you notice which nouns English counts and which it treats as a mass.

Two-minute retrieval

Three quick checks from earlier lessons

Answer from memory, then check. Say each complete sentence aloud.

1The staged shelf contains several cups: some cups on the shelf. (there is / there are)

2The shopping receipt lists a quantity of two. I bought two at the market. (regular plurals, A0)

3The fictional profile describes one person: She got a big kitchen. (have got)

Notice before the rule

Checking the kitchen before shopping

"We’ve got some rice and some tomatoes. We haven’t got any milk. Is there any coffee?"

Which little word comes before the nouns in the positive sentence?
Which little word appears in the negative sentence and in the question?
Tomatoes has a plural ending. Do rice, milk, and coffee?

Discovery check: choose the pattern

Begin with the usual pattern: positive some, negative or open question any. Offers and requests get a separate pattern below.

1The inventory confirms a quantity exists: There’s juice in the fridge.

2The inventory shows zero eggs: We haven’t got eggs.

3The speaker genuinely does not know: Is there soap left?

4The receipt confirms the purchase: I bought bananas.

5The table check finds zero napkins: There aren’t napkins on the table.

6The message contains positive information: She’s got good news.

The system, part 1: countable and uncountable nouns

Countability is not only about the real object. It is about how English chooses to view the noun in this meaning. A countable noun is packaged as separate units, so it has a plural and can take numbers. An uncountable noun is viewed as a mass, a substance, or a general idea, so it has no plural and no a / an.

	countable	uncountable
plural form	an apple → two apples	rice, milk, bread (no plural)
a / an and numbers	a tomato, three tomatoes	no a / an, no direct number
verb	The apples are on the table.	The rice is ready.
more examples	egg, cup, onion, chair, question	money, time, information, coffee, water

Classic traps

In standard English these are normally uncountable: money, advice, information, furniture, luggage, homework, traffic. Say some advice or a piece of advice, never an advice. Some nouns change with meaning: coffee is a substance, but two coffees in a cafe means two cups or two orders.

Count the container or piece

To count an uncountable idea, add a unit: two cups of coffee, a bottle of water, three pieces of information, two loaves of bread. The container or piece becomes countable; the substance noun stays unchanged.

One countable thing needs a singular marker: a charger or one charger. For the basic quantity meaning in this lesson, use some chargers with a plural noun, not some charger.

The system, part 2: some and any

Use some in positive sentences. Use any in negatives and in most questions. Both words work with plural countable nouns and with uncountable nouns.

sentence type	usual word	example
positive	some	There are some apples. We’ve got some rice.
negative	any	There aren’t any apples. We haven’t got any rice.
question	any	Are there any apples? Is there any rice?

Some and any do not mean an exact number

Both words point to an indefinite quantity: the exact amount is not important. The difference is often the speaker’s orientation.

word	speaker’s orientation	example
some	presents a quantity as existing or expected	We have some coffee.
any	leaves existence open, or says zero in a negative	Do we have any coffee? We don’t have any.

The polite exception: offers and requests

Would you like some coffee? Can I have some water, please?

These are questions in form, but the speaker expects a yes and presents the quantity as available. That is why offers and requests use some. Compare Is there any coffee?, where the speaker genuinely does not know.

Two useful boundaries

There isn’t any milk and There is no milk both express zero milk. Use one negative pattern, not two: in the target standard, avoid There isn’t no milk.

In a positive sentence, any can have a different meaning: “it does not matter which one.” Compare There are some seats near the door with Any seat is fine. The first presents a quantity. The second gives free choice.

Sound natural: make the quantity word light and the noun clear

In a neutral sentence, some and any usually support the noun rather than carry the main beat. Unstressed some often sounds approximately like suhm /səm/. Any begins with the strong first syllable EN: /ˈeni/. Link both words forward: some-rice, any-milk, and some-questions.

sentence	main beat	speaker’s message
We need some WATER.	water	The needed thing is water.
Do you have any QUESTIONS?	questions	The speaker leaves the answer open.
Would you like some COFFEE?	coffee	The speaker presents coffee as available.

Stress some as /sʌm/ when it carries a contrast: SOME people agreed, but not everyone. That stronger use means “a part of the group,” not simply an unknown quantity.

Listen: what does the quantity word do?

Your teacher reads each fictional line once at a natural speed and once more slowly. Listen to the whole situation, not only the small word. Check your answer before discussing the line with your tutor.

Tutor-read listening check

1Clip 1 presents an .

2Clip 2 reports a .

3Clip 3 asks an .

4Clip 4 makes an .

5Clip 5 makes a .

6Clip 6 gives .

Drill 1: choose the word that fits

Read the whole sentence first. Positive, negative, real question, or polite request? Then check the noun: countable or uncountable?

1The inventory confirms milk is present: There’s milk in the fridge.

2The inventory records zero onions: We haven’t got onions.

3The speaker genuinely does not know: Is there sugar in the cupboard?

4The receipt confirms the purchase: I bought tomatoes at the market.

5The customer asks for water: Can I have water, please? (a request)

6The office check finds zero clean mugs: There aren’t clean mugs in the office kitchen.

7The order requires exactly one new device: I need new charger for my laptop.

8The chair genuinely does not know: Have you got questions before the meeting?

Drill 2: type the missing word

Type some or any. In items 5 and 6, type the correct form of the noun in parentheses.

1The inventory confirms rice is available: We’ve got rice, so don’t buy more.

2The wallet check finds zero cash: I don’t have cash on me.

3The speaker genuinely does not know: Is there juice left?

4The host presents tea as available: Would you like tea? (an offer)

5The recipe treats the food as an uncountable substance: It needs some . (rice / rices)

6The room plan requires a total of two additional seats: We need two more for the meeting room. (chair / chairs)

Read and choose

A note on the fridge

"Quick note: there’s some chicken in the fridge for tonight. We haven’t got any onions, so I’m stopping at the store after work. Do we need any bread? I bought some fruit yesterday, so don’t buy more. Text me if we need anything else."

Drill 3: read, then choose

1. What is in the fridge for tonight?

2. Why is the writer stopping at the store?

3. What should the reader not buy?

Drill 4: build the question

Build the question. It is a real question, so it uses any.

Drill 5: build the positive sentence

Build the sentence. It is positive, so it uses some.

Notice and repair errors

Drill 6: negative sentences take any

Tap the word that is wrong.

Drill 7: uncountable nouns have no plural

The packing note requires two individual pieces for lunch. Tap the word that is wrong.

Drill 8: say it, then reveal

Read the cue, say the full sentence aloud, then reveal only after you answer.

1 We’ve got some milk. Make it negative.

We haven’t got any milk.

2 There are some eggs in the fridge. Make it negative.

There aren’t any eggs in the fridge.

3 There’s some coffee. Ask the question.

Is there any coffee?

4 We’ve got some napkins. Ask the question.

Have we got any napkins?

5 Offer your guest coffee, politely.

Would you like some coffee?

6 Ask for water, politely.

Can I have some water, please?

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

Ready for the workshop?

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Message to a coworker92 wordsAbout 1 min

Hi Dan, I’m checking the room for the workshop tomorrow. There are some clean cups on the table, but there isn’t any milk for the coffee. Can you buy some milk before work?

We have some tea and some cookies. Are there any pens in your office? We haven’t got any markers here, so please bring some. Also, I can’t find any information about the projector.

Twelve people are coming, and we have ten chairs. Can you ask Jo for some extra chairs? Would you like some help tomorrow morning? Thanks! Mina

Find it

Tap the 5 plural countable nouns that come after some or any. Skip uncountable nouns.

Check your understanding

1. What is missing for the coffee?

2. Why does Mina need more chairs?

3. What can’t Mina find any information about?

Crossword

Some, any, and units

Click a clue or a square, then type. Press Check when you finish.

Across

Down

Sort it

Countable or uncountable?

Tap a word, then tap the box it belongs in. Press Check when the tray is empty.

Unscramble

Build some and any sentences

Tap the words in order to build the sentence. Tap a placed word to send it back.

1. Ask about milk. You really don’t know.
2. Offer a drink politely.
3. The inventory shows zero onions.
4. The table check finds cups ready to use.

Use it in real life

You never need to disclose your real home, belongings, shopping habits, money, food, workplace, or location. Use the fictional cafe, supply room, staged image, or invented inventory below whenever you prefer.

Staged fridge: Describe five items in a fictional fridge image with some and any. There’s some cheese. There isn’t any juice.

Supply check: Say three things a fictional workshop does not have. We haven’t got any markers.

Open questions: Ask five neutral questions about a fictional cafe or event desk. Is there any tea? Are there any pens?

At the cafe: Make one offer and one request with some. Would you like some tea? Can I have some water, please?

Shopping list: Create an invented list with a plural countable noun, an uncountable noun, and a countable unit. We need some tomatoes, some rice, and two bottles of water.

Final production: prepare a fictional community workshop

Give a 45–60 second inventory and refreshment update. Include all six pieces of evidence:

one positive quantity with some and a plural countable noun;
one positive quantity with some and an uncountable noun;
one zero quantity with not any or no;
one neutral question with any;
one offer or request with some;
one countable unit for an uncountable noun, such as two bottles of water.

The listener records the inventory and asks one follow-up question. As an optional extension, add one positive free-choice sentence such as Any seat is fine.

Reflect

Say the system back

Complete this aloud: “In positive sentences I use ______. In negatives and most questions I use ______. In offers and requests I use ______, because I expect a yes. Countable nouns have a ______ form; uncountable nouns like money and advice do not.”

Then say one positive sentence, one negative sentence, and one real question about your own kitchen.

Final quiz: some, any, and noun types

1. The inventory confirms rice is present: There’s ___ rice in the cupboard.

2. The calendar shows zero meetings today: We don’t have ___ meetings today.

3. Mail is an uncountable category here: ___ there any mail for me?

4. Which noun is uncountable in its ordinary financial meaning?

5. Which noun can directly follow the number two in its ordinary meaning?

6. The host offers an available drink: Would you like ___ tea?

7. The receipt lists three separate containers: We bought three ___ of water.

8. The speaker genuinely does not know: Have we got ___ butter?

Return tomorrow before rereading the lesson. Complete the five-minute next-day retrieval, then revisit only the countability, quantity meaning, offer/request, or zero pattern that still feels slow.

Next-day retrieval

Choose some or any from the intended meaning

1The supply list confirms chairs are available: We have chairs for the guests.

2The inventory records zero water: There isn’t water in the cooler.

3The organizer genuinely does not know: Are there pens at the sign-in desk?

4The host presents tea as available: Would you like tea?

Repair the doubled negative pattern

The target inventory pattern is not any: “There isn’t no milk in the office fridge.” Tap the one word to replace.

Thirty-second retrieval

Without looking back, give a fictional supply update with one positive quantity, one zero quantity, one open question, and one offer or request.

We have some cups and some coffee. We don’t have any milk. Are there any clean spoons? Would you like some coffee?