indefinite pronouns (negative context) – English Grammar Profiler

In the English Grammar Profile, there are a few grammar points that overlap and clash across CEFR levels A2, B1 in regards to the use of the indefinite pronoun: ‘anything.‘  To make things worse, ‘anything‘ is listed at A1 in the English Vocabulary Profile with an A1 student example:

 … I can’t say anything.

A2 point 9 in the category of  NEGATION is defined:

limited range of determiners as pronouns and indefinite pronouns in negative contexts. Pronouns: quantity

The English Grammar Profile examples also include many, any. 

A2 point 19 in the category of PRONOUNS:

‘anything’ after a negative verb form.

B1 point 13 in the category of NEGATION is defined:

an increasing range of indefinite pronouns in negative contexts

• I haven’t seen anything yet.

Other examples include nothing, anyone.

This also overlaps the B1 point for ‘nothing anyone everywhere’

iWeb searches for:

_XX * many|any .

1 N’T HAVE ANY. 1614

I just don’t like kids.
I‘m so glad you don’t have any.

swnewsmedia.com

In this context, “any” is used as a pronoun to refer back to “kids”. The speaker is expressing relief that the person they’re speaking to doesn’t have any children. It’s a more concise way to express the same idea.

2 N’T FIND ANY. 877 3 NOT TOO MANY. 444 4 NOT FIND ANY. 370 5 NOT HAVE ANY. 342 6 N’T SEE ANY. 331 7 NOT THAT MANY. 295 8 N’T GET ANY. 263 9 NOT VERY MANY. 241 10 NOT AS MANY. 161 11 N’T BE ANY. 139 12 N’T NEED ANY. 129 13 N’T FOUND ANY. 112 14 N’T THAT MANY. 104 15 NOT SEE ANY. 103 16 NOT HAVING ANY. 97

17 N’T SEEN ANY. 91

_XX * * * anything

1 N’T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING 3419 2 N’T NEED TO DO ANYTHING 2289 3 N’T WANT TO DO ANYTHING 1784 4 N’T THINK THERE’S ANYTHING 1698 5 NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING 1407 6 NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING 1396 7 NOT NEED TO DO ANYTHING 1182 8 N’T THINK THERE IS ANYTHING 1138 9 N’T SEEM TO DO ANYTHING 976 10 N’T SEEM TO FIND ANYTHING 802 11 NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING 796 12 NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING 764 13 N’T COME UP WITH ANYTHING 675 14 N’T WANT TO SAY ANYTHING 660 15 N’T SEEM TO BE ANYTHING 611 16 N’T GOING TO DO ANYTHING 589 17 NOT EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING 522 18 N’T HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING 516 19 N’T NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING 483 20 N’T HAVE TO BE ANYTHING 456 21 NOT GOING TO SAY ANYTHING 417 22 N’T THINK THERE WAS ANYTHING 400 23 NOT THAT I HAVE ANYTHING 399 24 N’T WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING 391 25 N’T DO MUCH OF ANYTHING 388 26 NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING 381 27 N’T THINK IT HAS ANYTHING 376 28 NOT HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING 359 29 N’T HAVE ASKED FOR ANYTHING 347

30 N’T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING 345

1 N’T THINK OF ANYTHING 5053 2 N’T REALLY DO ANYTHING 1914 3 NOT TO DO ANYTHING 1626 4 NOT TO SAY ANYTHING 1388 5 N’T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING 1260 6 N’T ASK FOR ANYTHING 1133 7 N’T TELL YOU ANYTHING 903 8 NOT TO TAKE ANYTHING 885

9 N’T COST YOU ANYTHING 847

It didn’t cost you anything.

10 NOT THAT THERES ANYTHING 841 11 NOT THINK OF ANYTHING 836

12 N’T ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING 705

The interesting thing about me is

 I don’t actually do anything.

listen

13 N’T REALLY KNOW ANYTHING 646
14 N’T REALLY MEAN ANYTHING 629 15 NOT LOOKING FOR ANYTHING 610 16 N’T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING 587 17 N’T SETTLE FOR ANYTHING 538 18 N’T TELL ME ANYTHING 526 19 N’T TELL US ANYTHING 522 20 NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING 507 21 N’T LOOK LIKE ANYTHING 503 22 NOT CONNECTED TO ANYTHING 487 23 N’T REALLY SAY ANYTHING 475 24 NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING 409

25 NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING 384

I‘m not afraid of anything.

listen

26 N’T REALLY SEE ANYTHING 369 27 N’T KNOW OF ANYTHING 358 28 NOT REALLY DOING ANYTHING 356

29 NOT COST YOU ANYTHING 348

30 N’T BE DOING ANYTHING 347

1 N’T DO ANYTHING 41176 2 N’T HAVE ANYTHING 19274 3 N’T KNOW ANYTHING 16650 4 N’T FIND ANYTHING 14987 5 N’T SEE ANYTHING 14052 6 N’T SAY ANYTHING 13565 7 NOT DO ANYTHING 12639 8 NOT DOING ANYTHING 9058

9 NOT HAVE ANYTHING 5285

10 N’T MEAN ANYTHING 5256

PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE:

My first name does not mean anything.

Russian female, level 4 grammar class.

11 NOT FIND ANYTHING 4870 12 NOT SAY ANYTHING 4713 13 N’T WANT ANYTHING 4613 14 N’T DONE ANYTHING 4602 15 N’T CHANGE ANYTHING 4483 16 N’T GET ANYTHING 4398 17 N’T THINK ANYTHING 3974 18 NOT SEE ANYTHING 3386 19 N’T SEEN ANYTHING 3233 20 NOT KNOW ANYTHING 3120 21 N’T HEARD ANYTHING 3111 22 N’T NEED ANYTHING 2732 23 N’T DOING ANYTHING 2722 24 N’T HEAR ANYTHING 2691 25 N’T EXPECT ANYTHING 2432 26 N’T TAKE ANYTHING 2425 27 N’T FOUND ANYTHING 2308 28 N’T BE ANYTHING 2302 29 NOT SAYING ANYTHING 2239

30 N’T REMEMBER ANYTHING 2101

* * * _XX anything 

1 THERE REALLY ISN’T ANYTHING 901 2 . THERE ISN’T ANYTHING 731 3 , THERE ISN’T ANYTHING 658 4 . THERE WASN’T ANYTHING 343 5 AND THERE ISN’T ANYTHING 303 6 . IT WASN’T ANYTHING 301 7 THERE ISN’T ANYTHING 276 8 , THERE WASN’T ANYTHING 268 9 THAT THERE ISN’T ANYTHING 267

10 . IT’S NOT ANYTHING 201

A2:

actually, afraid, care, cost, mean B1: connected, expect, look like, seem, think of, trade B2:

aware, come up with, settle