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Articles
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Usage
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Commonly confused
Summary
Any may be used as a singular or a plural pronoun, depending on whether it refers to “at least one” or “one or more.” You may use either a singular verb like is or a plural verb like are with any (although use of the plural is more common).
Examples
- Plural: Are any of the students working on the project?
one or more of them
- Singular: Is any of them awake?
at least one
When any refers to a singular uncountable noun, it is always singular.
Example
- Is/
areany of the information available yet?
As a determiner, any is generally followed by uncountable and plural countable nouns in questions and negative statements.
Examples
- Is there any water left in the bottle?
- Does she have any enemies?
- I don’t have any water.
- She doesn’t have any enemies.
With singular countable nouns, use a/an rather than any.
Examples
- Have you ever eaten
any/an apple? - I have never eaten
any/an apple.
But note that any may be used with a singular countable noun to lend emphasis or to mean “it does not matter which.”
Examples
- Do you have any idea what you have done?
- Any car will do.
When to use any
The word any can be used as a pronoun or a determiner. (A pronoun functions as a noun phrase, while a determiner appears before a noun and clarifies its reference.)
Examples
- Pronoun: Have you read any of her books?
functions as a noun phrase: whichever books are being referred to
- Determiner: Have you read any books written by her?
reference to a number or quantity
The pronoun any refers to one or more of a group. Use it to speak of at least one or more than one of a set of persons or things.
Examples
- “Can I have some oranges?” “Sorry, there aren’t any.”
- Is any of these options still available?
- Are any of you planning to work today?
Any can also refer to quantity.
Examples
- “Could I have some milk?” “There isn’t any.”
- Is any of this useful to you?
- Is any of the soda we bought yesterday still in the car?
Any is often followed by the preposition of.
Examples
- Do any of these come in blue?
- Is any of this data useful to you?
- Are any of these for sale?
Any is also used as a determiner before a noun, generally in questions and negative statements.
Examples
- Are there any marbles left in the bag?
- Do you have any money I can borrow?
- I don’t have any marbles.
- I don’t have any money.
In this article, we discuss whether the pronoun any should be used with singular or plural verbs: is any or are any of them ready? We also discuss whether any as a determiner can be followed by singular or plural nouns: any query or any queries?
Is any singular or plural?
Any may be either a singular or a plural pronoun, depending on whether it means “at least one” or “one or more.” To refer at least one of a group, use a singular verb like is. To refer to more than one of a group, use a plural verb like are.
Examples
- Are any of you coming to the party?
one or more of you
- Is any of you going to help me?
at least one of you
Tip
Any is used as a pronoun in questions, negative statements, and conditionals.
Examples
- Question: Are any of them here?
- Negative statement: Sorry, I don’t have any.
- Conditional: I need some more marbles. Let me know if you find any.
- Conditional: If any of you have a spare laptop, let me know.
Reference to countable nouns
When any is used as a pronoun in questions to refer to countable nouns, it can be used with either singular or plural verbs: is any or are any. When you use a plural verb (like are any), you are asking about “one or more” of a number. When you use a singular verb (like is any), you are asking about “at least one” of a number.
Example
- Are any of your rooms available?
referring to one or more
Is any of your rooms available?
referring to at least one, but there may be more
Here are some more examples.
Examples
- Is/are any of them ready?
- Is/are any of the books on sale?
- Is/are any of my answers correct?
- Is/are any of the students absent today?
- Does/do any of you know the answer?
- Has/have any of them called yet?
Note
Any and some have similar meanings but slightly different use cases. The pronoun any instead of some is used in negative statements.
Example
- “Do you have some marbles?” “Sorry, I don’t have
some/any.”
When any is used instead of some in questions, it is more open-ended.
Example
- Would like to try some of these muffins?
Expecting a positive answer.
Are any of these vegan?
Open-ended: May or may not be vegan.
Any of a number can also be used in conditional statements, either as singular or plural (although plural use is more common).
Examples
- If any of the students needs/need my help, let me know.
- If any of the balloons bursts/burst, replace it/them immediately.
- Unless any of them reports/report the crime, we can’t take action.
In negative statements, the pronoun any is used to refer to a plural number rather than a singular countable noun.
Examples
- Plural: “Can I borrow a couple of pens from you?” “Sorry, I don’t have any.”
to refer to a plural number
- Singular: “Can I borrow a pen?” “Sorry, I don’t have
any/one.”
Reference to uncountable nouns
With singular uncountable nouns (also called mass nouns), any is singular. This is because uncountable nouns (like water, furniture, jewelry) are thought of in terms of quantity rather than a countable number.
Examples
- Has/
haveany of the water been filtered?any amount of
- Is/
areany of your jewelry insured? - Is/
areany of this information useful to you? - Does/
doany of this rust?
Here are some more examples of any being considered singular when it refers to singular uncountable nouns.
Examples
- “Is there some water in the bottle?” “There isn’t any.”
- “We’ve ordered too much pizza.” “Well, if there is any left, we can have it for breakfast.”
“I need milk. Is there any in the fridge?”
When any refers to plural uncountable nouns, it is always plural. (Plural uncountable nouns are always used in the plural form, never in the singular.)
Examples
- Are any of the scissors sharpened?
- Why aren’t any of your trousers ever ironed?
- Are any of the sunglasses on sale?
Is any used with singular or plural nouns?
In questions and negative statements, any generally appears as a determiner with a plural countable noun or an uncountable noun. It can also appear before a singular countable noun to lend emphasis to a sentence.
Examples
- Do you have any books I can borrow?
- Is any oil needed in this recipe?
- This house doesn’t have any furniture in it.
- The Pole Star can be seen at any hour of the night at any time of the year from any place in the Northern Hemisphere.
With uncountable and plural countable nouns
Any is used with uncountable or plural countable nouns in questions. (Countable nouns refer to things that can be counted, while uncountable or mass nouns refer to a quantity.)
Examples
- Is there any water left in the bottle?
- Is he wearing any trousers?
- Are there any books in the bag?
- Do you have any questions for me?
When any is used with singular uncountable nouns, the verb used is singular.
Examples
- Is/
Arethere any water left in the bottle? - Is/
Arethere any milk in the fridge? - Is/
Arethere any money in the purse?
Any is also used with uncountable and plural countable nouns in negative statements.
Examples
- There isn’t any milk left in the bottle.
- Sorry, I don’t have any water to spare.
- Farley doesn’t have any money.
- There aren’t any scissors in the salon.
- There aren’t any books in the bag.
- They don’t seem to have any questions for us at the moment.
In conditionals as well, any is used with uncountable and plural countable nouns.
Examples
- If you need any help with the project, let me know.
- If you meet any monsters, use the magic ring.
- Let me know if you have any questions.
With singular countable nouns
Any is not generally used with singular countable nouns. Instead, we use the indefinite article a/an.
Examples
- Do you have
any/a pen in your bag? - Can I get
any/an answer today? - We are at the lake, but there isn’t
any/a boat in sight.
Note that it is not grammatically wrong to use any before a singular countable noun. Such a construction can lend emphasis to a conditional or a question.
Examples
- If you have any problem at all, let me know.
- I can help you with any query you may have.
- Do you have any idea why this may have happened?
- Is there any way that I can help you?
- Is there any cure at all, Doctor?
Any followed by a singular countable noun can also indicate that you are referring to an example of a class of things, and that it does not matter which particular thing it is.
Examples
- “Which car would you like?” “Oh, any car will do. I’m not particular.”
- I need a book to read on the flight. Any book will do.
- This is a book any child would love.
- This game can be gifted to a child of any age.
- I like sci-fi, but we can watch any movie you like.
Some and no in place of any
Not any may be replaced by no in negative statements. Note that no is more emphatic than not any and can sound more formal.
Examples
- I haven’t any plans.
or
I have no plans.
- I don’t have any money.
or
I have no money.
In questions, some can convey that the speaker expects a positive response, while any is more neutral.
Examples
- Would you like some more orange juice?
Expectation that the person would like to have more orange juice.
- Would you like any more tea or coffee?
More open-ended: the person may or may not want a beverage.
In negative questions, any instead of some is used, expecting a negative response.
Examples
- Don’t you have any money?
Expectation that the person has no money.
- Do you have some money I could borrow?
Expecting a positive answer.
Finally, some instead of any is generally used in affirmative statements. Any is used in negative statements.
Examples
- Affirmative: There is some water left in this bottle.
Negative: There isn’t any water left in this bottle. - Affirmative: There are some books still in the bag.
Negative: There aren’t any books in the bag.
Anyone, anybody, anything: Singular or plural?
The pronouns anyone, anybody, and anything refer to one person or thing and are always singular.
Examples
- Is/
areanybody home? - Why doesn’t/
don’tanyone ever listen to me? - Is/
arethere anything I can help you with?
Sometimes, we use any one in place of any to emphasize an example of a class, regardless of which one in particular.
Examples
- Is any one of you ready?
- Any one of these will do.
Examples from literature
Here are some examples of the pronoun any used with singular and plural verbs.
Examples
Half the trouble in life is caused by pretending there isn’t any.
The best of a bad job is all any of us make of it—except of course, the saints.
— T.S. Eliot, The Cocktail Party, a Comedy (1949)
‘Mankind has lost its own say in its future.’ ‘It never had any, really.’
How real is any of the past, being every moment revalued to make the present possible.
What is any of this to us?
After all, what are any of us after but the conviction of belonging?
And here are some examples of any used as a determiner in writing. Note how it is used before a plural noun in negative statements, but before a singular noun in affirmative statements.
Examples
There aren’t any answers to be found. There are no good choices.
I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12.
Any planet is ‘Earth’ to those that live on it.
— Isaac Asimov, Pebble in the Sky (1950)
Any fool can tell a crisis when it arrives.
— Isaac Asimov, Foundation (1942)
Very often, the English language can be confusing. Is the word “any” singular, or is it plural? Does it simply take the form of the word that it’s attached to? And can you use the word “any” in any given situation? This article will answer these questions.
Thinking of “any” as a strictly singular or plural word is mistaken in the first place. “Any” is a word that should be used for uncountable nouns, for plurals, and for questions or negatives. As such, the situations in which you can use “any” are really varied.
The truth is that “any” can be used with plural nouns pretty much all of the time, but it can only be used with singular nouns under specific circumstances, such as a question.
“Any” + Singular
You only use “any” with a singular noun when it’s either an uncountable noun, or when it’s used inside a question or in a negative sentence. These are very specific circumstances, and might be somewhat hard to remember, but they’re very useful to keep in mind.
It’s fine to use “any” with a singular noun as long as it fits the described circumstances and, to put it in a broad way, sounds good to the ear.
To explain the “negative sentence” part, you wouldn’t say “I have any idea”, but you would in fact say “I don’t have any idea”. The singular “any” only makes sense in this context
Here are a few example sentences that will show the way in which you can use “any” with a singular noun:
- Do you have any idea of what might have happened the other day?
- I don’t have any water left but I can offer you some soda instead.
- Is there any chance of me getting accepted in spite of all these circumstances?
- I don’t think there’s any music that you would like in this specific collection.
- Have you had any luck setting up the sound system correctly?
- I don’t know that there’s any difference between either of the final choices for the program.
- Have you got any idea of what we could do to solve this?
“Any” + Plural
Using “any” with a plural noun is not that different when compared to using “any” with a singular noun. You simply add it before any given plural noun, and you use it in sentences that have questions or are negative.
When it comes down to it, the rules for using “any” with a singular or plural noun are very similar.
WIth plural nouns, the major difference would simply be that uncountable nouns are not as major of a presence as they are for when “any” is modifying a singular noun.
Here are some example sentences that will showcase the ways in which “any” can modify plural nouns:
- He doesn’t have any books that deal with this specific subject matter.
- I haven’t got any ideas for the meeting this friday, and I’m worried about it.
- Are there any novels you think I would like from this particular bookstore?
- Do you have any movies from the festival that was held last year in this venue?
- Are there any concepts from the productivity meeting that you think we need to work on?
- I don’t have any essays or papers from last year that are about economics.
- There aren’t any tiles or drawings that we can use as a showcase for the investors.
Is “Any” Mostly Used as Singular or Plural?
The information supplied by the Google Ngram Viewer on the use of “any are” as compared to “any is” is fascinating. Since the year 1800, “any are” has consistently been more popular than “any is”, but this gap has lessened over the years.
Though at the start of the 1800s the gap between “any are” and “any is” was immense, by the start of the 1900s this wasn’t the case anymore.
In the 1900s “any are” was still very much the most common option, but “any is” was always trailing just slightly behind, with what was really a very minor difference overall.
In fact, there was a specific point in the year 1962 in which “any is” nearly overtook “any are” in use, though of course this did not end up happening ultimately.
Is Any or Are Any?
This particular phrasing is used mostly in questions, and the correct answer is normally going to be “are any”. When “any” is used in this particular way, following a verb, then “is any” is generally considered to be incorrect in most cases, and “are any” is utilized instead.
While “is any” can technically be correct in specific contexts that are not questions, when it comes to asking questions it’s seen as awkward and incorrect.
Here are a couple of examples to understand how you can correctly use either option:
- The new project is any of the following options: Large, bold, aggressive, and brave.
- Are any of the new course options doable for someone in my major?
You may also like:
“Is There Any News” or “Are There Any News”? (Correct Version)
Are There Any vs. Is There Any – Easy Usage Guide (+14 Examples)
“If There Is Any” vs. “If There Are Any” – Correct Version
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
We use “any” + singular noun when we are looking for a specific piece of information or in certain positive sentences. We use “any” + plural nouns in regular interrogative and negative sentences.
If I ask you any question, you will answer it for me.
Do you have any questions?
We usually use “any” in questions and negative sentences but it is possible to use “any” in positive sentences. Read more from my article about when to use some and any.
We use “any” in questions when we don’t know if another person knows or has something.
Do you have any chocolate?
Do you have any questions?
We use “any” in negative sentences to mean that we have nothing.
I don’t have any chocolate.
I don’t have any questions.
Any + Plural Nouns(Uncountable)
We usually use “any” with plural and especially uncountable nouns in questions and negative sentences.
Do you have any milk left in the fridge?
Do you have any bicycles for sale?
I don’t have any milk left in the fridge.
I don’t have any bicycles for sale.
It is possible to use “any” + singular nouns but it is less common than “any” + plural nouns.
We “any” + singular nouns when we are looking for a specific piece of information.
Do you have any idea where my coat is?
In this case, we only want to know the answer to one question and we don’t want many suggestions.
“Any” is also common to use when “any” is used in the positive when something the noun is not important or when we use “if”.
Any in positive sentences
We sometimes use any in positive sentences
- When it is not important which one
Pass me any tie. I don’t care
We can go to any game you like.
- When the sentence has a negative idea
We never get any chocolate.
He stayed there without any clean clothes.
- When we use if
Let me know if you need anything
I am sorry for anything he has done wrong
Read more about the difference between “Is There A”, “Is There Any”, and “Are There Any”
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Conor is the main writer here at One Minute English and was an English teacher for 10 years. He is interested in helping people with their English skills and learning about using A.I tools at work.
It depends on the context. If a group of people is brainstorming (that is, trying to come up with a bunch of creative possibilities to solve a problem), then I might ask someone «Do you have any ideas?» In this situation, I am expecting that they may have several ideas that are relevant to the problem.
However, if I am asking for an answer to a specific question, I might say something like, «I can’t remember what the capital of Pakistan is, do you have any idea?» In this situation, I am expecting that they might have one specific piece of information to offer. This is probably a more colloquial or idiomatic expression than the other one.
And yes, the use of «any» does have a lot to do with questions and negatives. «Any» is a negative polarity item, which means it can only happen in certain contexts. For example, I would never say «I have any ideas» or «I have any books», but I would say «I don’t have any ideas» and «I don’t have any books». I don’t really know how to give you a full explanation of where or why «any» can be used though. The example you give about borrowing «any book» is certainly correct, even though it isn’t negative or a question.
quote:
When we listen to any song , John is always repeating the words after the singer.
She changed «songs» to «song» though «song» is a countable noun, Do you know why?
You are very observant, Ismael.
«Any songs» would not be really incorrect, but here’s what I was thinking:
You could say, «When we listen to SOME SONGS…» This would be the normal way to state the idea that there are some songs that we are listening to.
You might say, «When we listen to ANY SONGS…» In this case, «any» means «any kind at all,» but there is no indication that there has been a discussion about the type of songs you are referring to. It doesn’t seem to work here.
It’s different in the singular with «any.» You can say «…ANY SONG at all» to introduce the idea. It means that this one song — «any song» — represents all songs. You could even say, «When we listen to A song…» You can also use «any» to introduce a noncount noun, as in: «When we get any information at all, we are grateful.»
«Any» + a plural count noun to introduce one of a general category is not commonly used. However, as you know, «any» is used in place of «some» in negative sentences with plural count nouns and with noncount nouns: «I don’t have any books / information.»
Rachel