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Chan-Seung Lee
Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 1032
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 Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 8:05 am Post subject: any |
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1.Any of my friends couldn't make it at that time.
2.None of my friends could make it at that time. |
Someone said that #1 is wrong and instead #2 must be used. I wonder if it's true and why. Can you teach me?
Thanks. |
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Anuradha Chepur
Joined: 20 May 2006
Posts: 933
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| Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2006 12:00 am Post subject: |
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| I suppose it's because 'any' and 'couldn't' make a double negative. |
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Chan-Seung Lee
Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 1032
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| Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 7:58 am Post subject: examples |
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| I cannot find any of them. |
I saw the above example in my dictionary. So I think now that 'Any of my friends couldn't make it at that time.' is not wrong.
Let me know if I am right.
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Mary W. Ng
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 9:05 am Post subject: Re: any |
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| 'Any of my friends couldn't make it at that time.' |
The quoted sentence is wrong because there is a rule that any cannot be followed by a negative verb (in this sentence the negative verb is couldn't make).
_________________
Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com |
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Chan-Seung Lee
Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 1032
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| Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 7:48 pm Post subject: still question |
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pronoun. used in negative sentences and in questions and after if or whether to refer to an amount or a number, however large or small:
We need some more paint; there isn't any left. ...... |
The above definition is about 'any' in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. According to it, it says that 'any' is used in negative sentences.
So I can't understand your opinion, 'The quoted sentence is wrong because there is a rule that 'any' cannot be followed by a negative verb'.
Do you mean that 'any' cannot be subjects of negative sentences while being used as objects of negative sentences?
Can you clear my question?
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Mary W. Ng
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 8:29 pm Post subject: Re: still question |
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| Quote: |
Any of my friends couldn't make it at that time.'
The quoted sentence is wrong because there is a rule that any cannot be followed by a negative verb (in this sentence the negative verb is couldn't make). |
I'm sorry if my post confuses you.
The rule is that when the subject contains any, it cannot be followed by a negative verb. So the quoted sentence is wrong.
| Quote: |
| "I cannot find any of them." |
This sentence is correct. Here any of them is the direct object, not the subject, of a negative verb.
_________________
Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com |
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