ANY


Meaning of ANY in English

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.

1.

You use ~ in statements with negative meaning to indicate that no thing or person of a particular type exists, is present, or is involved in a situation.

I never make ~ big decisions...

We are doing this all without ~ support from the hospital...

Earlier reports were unable to confirm that there were ~ survivors...

DET: DET pl-n/n-uncount

Any is also a quantifier.

You don’t know ~ of my friends...

QUANT: QUANT of def-n-uncount/def-pl-n

Any is also a pronoun.

The children needed new school clothes and Kim couldn’t afford ~.

PRON: PRON after v

2.

You use ~ in questions and conditional clauses to ask whether there is some of a particular thing or some of a particular group of people, or to suggest that there might be.

Do you speak ~ foreign languages?...

Have you got ~ cheese I can have with this bread?

DET: DET pl-n/n-uncount

Any is also a quantifier.

Have you ever used a homeopathic remedy for ~ of the following reasons?

QUANT: QUANT of def-n-uncount/def-pl-n

Any is also a pronoun.

The plants are inspected for insects and if I find ~, they are squashed.

PRON: PRON after v

3.

You use ~ in positive statements when you are referring to someone or something of a particular kind that might exist, occur, or be involved in a situation, when their exact identity or nature is not important.

Any actor will tell you that it is easier to perform than to be themselves...

I’m prepared to take ~ advice...

DET

Any is also a quantifier.

It had been the biggest mistake ~ of them could remember.

QUANT: QUANT of def-n-uncount/def-pl-n

Any is also a pronoun.

Clean the mussels and discard ~ that do not close.

PRON

4.

You can also use ~ to emphasize a comparative adjective or adverb in a negative statement.

I can’t see things getting ~ easier for graduates...

ADV: ADV compar emphasis

5.

If you say that someone or something is not just ~ person or thing, you mean that they are special in some way.

It’s fashionable for young people to wear trainers, but not just ~ trainers.

PHRASE: PHR n

6.

If something does not happen or is not true ~ more or ~ longer, it has stopped happening or is no longer true.

I don’t want to see her ~ more...

I couldn’t keep the tears hidden ~ longer.

PHRASE: PHR after v

7.

in ~ case: see case

by ~ chance: see chance

in ~ event: see event

not by ~ means: see means

~ old: see old

at ~ rate: see rate

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