Is there a/any

Question

1. Is there a book on the desk? ____, there are two. 2. Is there any book on the desk? ___, there are two. I think the answers to the above questions are #1:Yes, #2:Yes. Am I right?

Neeraj Jain · Accepted Answer

The answer to question #1 should be No as given in the link. There is not one definite book; instead, there are two books. Therefore, the answer should be in negative.

Kooyeen · Answer

Hi Teo,

Teo 2. Is there any book on the desk? ___, there are two.

I don't think that's a good question. I think it should be "Are there any books...". The answer would be yes.
Anyway:

- I can't find my book. Is there a book on the desk?
- Yes, there are two (actually)... ...Is it the red one?

- Answer this question: is there one book on the desk? (I think "one" is stressed, I'm not sure though)
- No. There are two.

BarbaraPA · Answer

I agree completely with Kooyeen.

If I asked "Is there a coffee mug on the table" and there were in fact two, and you answered with "No," I would think you were being a smart alec. The fact is, when someone says "Is there a...?" and there are more than one, the expected answer is "yes." If the person wanted to know if there was exactly one of something, it would be rephrased. "Is there only one apple left? Is there only one book on the table? I could have sworn there were several."

In contrast - "Look on the table - the one that has only one book on it. Yeah, that table, not the one with the whole stack of books. I put your keys next to that book on the table."

EDIT: Also, I don't find "Is there any book" to be very idiomatic. "Are there any," as suggested by Kooyeen, is far more natural.

Is there a/any

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