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Give me some water, please. Can you see any snow on the mountaintop?
c) abstract nouns:
She won’t give you any trouble.
When used before noun-phrases with cardinal numerals some denotes approximate quantity:
some ten
years ago, some twenty people (около, приблизительно).
The idea of quality is actualised when some and any combine with count nouns in the singular. In a positive
statement any acquires the meaning of ‘любой'.
They bought some old house in the country, (какой-то дом)
Any horse will do now. (любая лошадь)
Very often the idea of quality and that of quantity go together: Some people will do it of their own free will
means a certain type of persons and о certain number of people.
Some and any, indicating both indefinite qualities and quantities, differ in meaning: some has assertive
force, that is presupposes the presence of some quality or quantity. It generally corresponds to the Russian
некоторый, какой-то, некоторое количество. Any has a non-assertive force, that is, does not presuppose the
presence of any quality or quantity, and generally corresponds to the Russian какой-нибудь, какой-либо,
сколько-нибудь.
The difference in meaning predetermines their use. Some is commonly used in affirmative and imperative
sentences.
There are some apples on the table. Give him some milk.
Any is commonly used:
1) In negative sentences (with negatives not, no, never, neither... nor), in sentences with incomplete
negatives (hardly, little, few, least, etc.), and with implied negatives (fail, prevent, reluctant, hard, difficult).
I don’t like any of them. She has never lasted any wine.
I hardly knew any of those present.
He failed to find any of them.
2) In questions, mostly general:
Did you see any of them? Is there any bread there?
3) In conditional clauses:
If any person learns about it, you will have to leave.
4) In comparative phrases:
He did more for me than any of you.
However, some not any, is used in interrogative sentences when their basic meaning is assertive and the
speaker suggests that a certain state of affairs exists, as in:
Did you see some new English books on the shelf?
(The speaker suggests that there are new English books on the shelf and the addressee had only to look on
them).
When will you have some time to show me your presents?