"some" and "any" in the question

Question

Should I say1) Do you have some money?                       or     Do you have any money?2) Have you got some money?                     or   Have you got any money?I should use "any" in a question by the rule, but google has both

Fivejedjon · Accepted Answer

Michael Lewis [The English Verb, (1986), Hove: LTP] wrote:

“Both some and any are used with indefinite reference.
Some is used if the idea is restricted or limited in some way.
Any is used if the idea is unrestricted or unlimited.
Any applies to all or none; some applies to part.

The restriction may be a real one – There’s some cheese in the fridge– or a psychological one, existing only in the mind of the speaker – Would you like something to eat?

The real semantic distinction is as simple as that, and applies to all uses of some and any.”

So:

Have you got some money? - Are you in possession of a sum of money? This might be asked if the speaker wishes to know whether the person addressed has sufficient money for their need.

or

Have you got any money? - Are you in possession of money? This might be asked if the speaker wishes to know whether the person addressed has any money at all, even a small amount.

Linian_U · Answer

Thank you very much!
I see the difference now.

"some" and "any" in the question

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions