Singular or plural noun before 'any' ?

If it's a countable noun, as in your example, we usually choose the plural.

I couldn't find any books.
I couldn't find any good books.
I couldn't find any books on music.
I couldn't find any books that had the answer I was looking for.

Nevertheless, you will sometimes hear the singular in that position.

CJ

ElcidHi
I have a doubt about the noun that follows 'any'. In the following sentences which one is correct and why ?

i) I could not find any book?
ii)I could not find any books?

On doing google search on both, results got were quite the same.

Thanks in advance!

I could not find any book by Dickens in the shop.

Thanks Calif!

But could you please clear that is it wrong to use "any book" in the aforementioned sentences. And When do we use singualr noun if we do? Like in the sentence " Have you got any issues?" or "Have you got any issue?" , is there any difference between the sentences or one of them is wrong?

Thanks in advance!

Rahul

I don't know if there is a rule about this. I would probably use the singular only when a modifying phrase or clause followed. And then it would depend on whether I was speaking of one or more books -- well, books in this example, anyway.

These, for example, could be singular or plural without any problem(s)!

I couldn't find any book on music.
I couldn't find any

Thanks Calif!
That was of great help.

Although Napoleon’s army entered Russia with far more supplies than for any previous campaign, it had provisions for only twenty-four days.

CJ,

Above sentence is from ETS... I am not sure why they have used campaign but not campaigns.. Can you please help me understand?

Thank you

pokhI am not sure why they have used campaign but not campaigns.

campaigns would not be wrong, but the tendency is to use the singular in comparisons with a singular, i.e., after than.

This town has more schools than any other town in California.

Here you compare this town with one other town at a time.

Th