anything or something in indirect speach

Question

Hi, I have come across this sentence  Customs Officer: Have you got anything to declare?  in an exercise. The task was to turn it into indirect speech. Without thinking I wrote  I asked him whether he had anything to declare.  I was 100 % sure it should be like that. But then I was wondering whether it is possible to use anything here or not. Can anything be in an affirmative sentence instead of something? Is it grammatically correct?Thanks

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

It's fine.

From the other perspective, it could be "The customs officer asked if [he][she] had anything to declare."

Katarinka · Answer

Thanks a lot but my question is if there is any rule for this or not... because I am not sure how to explain my choice... thanks

Kooyeen · Answer

Hi Katarinka,
learning how to use any and some is difficult! I've been learning English for quite a while and I'm still not sure, lol.

Anyway, "anything" is ok, because it was used in the question that way. I'll give you some examples:

1) Do you have any sisters? - He asked me if I had any sisters. I have two. He didn't know I had any sisters.
2) Do you have any sisters? - He asked me if I had any sisters. I'm an only child. He didn't know I had no sisters.
3) Do you need anything? - I asked her if she needed anything.
4) Are you looking for something? - I asked her if she was looking for something. She didn't expect me to ask her if she was looking for anything.
5) Do you want some fries? - She asked me if I wanted some fries. I told her I didn't want some/any fries.

Confusing? It sure is! I don't even know if what I just said makes any sense. If you are lucky, a native speaker will peep in here and correct any mistakes.

Anonymous · Answer

I agree to use anything, as it still has the meaning of a question.

anything or something in indirect speach

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions