Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Darkness]

when do u use a singular/plural noun after the word 'any'?

which is correct?
any topics
any topic

any books
any book

please explain.

[lotus]

Hi Darkness,

The singular noun would be appropriate.
If it were the object of the preposition "of", it would be plural.

any (of the topics)
any topic

any (of the books)
any book

"Any" is one of many (all).
Library clerk: "Look around if you'd like. Select any book you wish."
In this case, "any" is an adverb with the connotation of "all."

If the preposition "of" follows "any", it usually describes the entire selection; therefore, the object of the preposition is plural. In this case, "any" is a pronoun.
Library clerk: "So, you're looking for ESL books. You can pick any of the books in that section."


--lotus

[CP]

We also use "any" with the plural this way:

"Can you think of any topics for the meeting?"

"I don't have any books."
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