Usage of "any"

Question

Should I use singular or plural nouns with if any?

If any contestant does not follow the rules, he/she will be expelled from the competition.
If any contestants do not follow the rules, they will be expelled from the competition.

If they are both correct, Would you prefer a singular noun or a plural one after if any?

I know It's better to say:

Any contestant not following the rules will be expelled from the competition.

For a non native speaker like me, It is a problem to decide whether I should use plural or singular nouns after if any.

Can anyone who is a teacher or has good knowledge of the language please explain this?

Thanks In advance.

BillJ · Accepted Answer

[1] If any contestants do not follow the rules, they will be expelled from the competition.

[2] Any contestants not following the rules will be expelled from the competition.

[3] If any contestant does not follow the rules, he/she will be expelled from the competition.

In its 'free choice' use, "any" can be used as determiner to plural nouns as well as count singulars, so all these examples are fine.

CalifJim · Answer

cat deskShould I use singular or plural nouns with if any?

Google Ngrams Viewer has a singular noun after nine of the top ten nouns used after "if any". Judging by those results it seems to me that the singular is preferred in that context. It may be the 'if' that influences this choice.

Here are some examples found online:

If any company can do its work with FIFO,DIDO or BIBO workers good luck to them.
If any agent buys government bonds, liquidity is their main reason for doing so.
You are lucky if any modern musical has merely one or two songs of this caliber.
If any team could play the pressing game that Birmingham team did, it'd be his.
If any nation is to blame for these tragic shootings, it is Norway, not Serbia.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of examples of a plural noun after "if any" as well.

CJ

Usage of "any"

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