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Emily__ Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

nothing/anything at all ...

"There was nothing at all to eat."

"There was anything at all to eat." (the same meaning - nothing to eat) but - is this correct?

"There was hardly anything to eat." (there could be something after all)

Could I also say "It was hardly anything/nothing at all to eat there."??

Thanks for your help.
  

Top answer

" (the same meaning - nothing to eat) but - is this correct? "?? " This is incorrect.

— Pastsimple

  • " (the same meaning - nothing to eat) but - is this correct?
  • "??
  • " This is incorrect.
  • Try " There wasn't anything at all to eat " instead.
  • " I doubt it's correct - it sounds unnatural and I'd never say it.
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8 Answers
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Emily__"There was nothing at all to eat."

"There was anything at all to eat." (the same meaning - nothing to eat) but - is this correct?

"There was hardly anything to eat." (there could be something after all)

Could I also say "It was hardly anything/nothing at all to eat there."??
"There was anything at all t
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There was hardly anything to eat.
Or
The was nothing to eat at all.

The was nothing at all to eat sound strange but I do not know any rule that forbids such syntax.
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InchoateknowledgeThere was hardly anything to eat.
Or
The was nothing to eat at all.

The was nothing at all to eat sound strange but I do not know any rule that forbids such syntax.
As for "There was nothing to eat at all" vs. "There was nothing at all to eat", I'd say both are correct. If there is any slig
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"There was nothing at all to eat." CORRECT

"There was anything at all to eat." (the same meaning - nothing to eat) but - is this correct? INCORRECT

"There was hardly anything to eat." (there could be something after all) CORRECT

Could I also say "It was hardly anything/nothing at all to eat there."?? NO. Say: There was hardly anything at all to e
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CalifJim"There was nothing at all to eat." CORRECT

"There was anything at all to eat." (the same meaning - nothing to eat) but - is this correct? INCORRECT

"There was hardly anything to eat." (there could be something after all) CORRECT

Could I also say "It was hardly anything/nothing at all to eat there."?? NO. Say: There
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What about "There was nothing to eat at all" vs. "There was nothing at all to eat"?

There was nothing to eat at all. Correct.
There was nothing at all to eat. Correct.

The second shows the more natural word order, in my opinion.

CJ
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In english you cannot have a double negative EVER, like "you can't say nothing" can't is a negative and so is nothing, so the only way to say it correctly is to change nothing to anything. negatives: any word with not in it (including abbreviations), never, without, and there are loads more
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AnonymousIn english you cannot have a double negative EVER, like "you can't say nothing"
You can say "Say something, come on! You can't say nothing!"
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