Some thing, Anything, Everything – English Grammar Exercises for A2
You and your friend Lisa are packing your bags to leave the hotel and go to the airport. Read your conversation carefully and choose the best option (A, B, or C) to complete each sentence.
1 You: “Our flight is in three hours. Have you packed _____ in your suitcase?”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
2 Lisa: “I think so. I folded my clothes, my shoes, and my jacket. Yes, _____ is in the bag.”
(A) everything
(B) anything
(C) something
3 You: “Wait, did you leave _____ in the bathroom?”
(A) everything
(B) anything
(C) something
4 Lisa: “Let me check. No, the bathroom is completely empty. There isn’t _____ on the shelf.”
(A) anything
(B) everything
(C) something
5 You: “Good. I want to make sure we don’t forget _____, especially our passports.”
(A) everything
(B) something
(C) anything
6 Lisa: “I have the passports right here in my purse. _____ is perfectly organized.”
(A) Anything
(B) Everything
(C) Something
7 You: “Before we lock the door, let’s look under the bed. Sometimes people drop _____ there.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
8 Lisa: “I just looked. I didn’t see _____ under the bed at all.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
9 You: “Great. Now, do you have all your electronic chargers? You use them for _____!”
(A) anything
(B) something
(C) everything
10 Lisa: “Yes, phone charger, laptop charger, camera battery… _____ is in my small backpack.”
(A) Anything
(B) Something
(C) Everything
11 You: “I am feeling a bit hungry. Do we have _____ left in the mini-fridge?”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
12 Lisa: “No, we ate _____ we bought from the supermarket yesterday.”
(A) everything
(B) something
(C) anything
13 You: “Are you sure? I thought I left _____ sweet on the desk.”
(A) anything
(B) something
(C) everything
14 Lisa: “Oh, you mean the chocolate bar? I ate it last night. So now, we don’t have _____ to eat.”
(A) something
(B) everything
(C) anything
15 You: “That’s fine. We can just buy _____ at the airport if we get hungry.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
16 Lisa: “Look around the room one last time. Does _____ look okay to you?”
(A) anything
(B) everything
(C) something
17 You: “The closet is empty, and the drawers are empty. Yes, _____ is clear.”
(A) everything
(B) anything
(C) something
18 Lisa: “Did the hotel receptionist say _____ about returning the room keys?”
(A) something
(B) everything
(C) anything
19 You: “She said we just need to leave them on the table. We don’t need to sign _____.”
(A) anything
(B) something
(C) everything
20 Lisa: “Alright, grab your coat. _____ is ready, so let’s head to the airport!”
(A) Something
(B) Anything
(C) Everything
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) everything
- Why it’s correct: You are asking if all items (100% of her belongings) are packed. “Everything” acts as a summary word for all her stuff.
- Error Analysis: (A) “something” means just one unspecified item. (B) “anything” asks if at least one item is packed, which doesn’t fit the context of preparing to leave.
2 (A) everything
- Why it’s correct: Lisa lists her clothes, shoes, and jacket, and then bundles them all together into one word: “Everything”.
- Error Analysis: (B) “anything” is a structural error in an affirmative statement like this. (C) “something” is a meaning trap (it would mean only one unnamed item is in the bag).
3 (B) anything
- Why it’s correct: In a standard Yes/No question asking about the existence of an object, we use “anything” (Did you leave any item at all?).
- Error Analysis: (A) “everything” is a meaning trap (asking if she left her entire luggage in the bathroom). (C) “something” is a common mistake for A2 learners in general questions.
4 (A) anything
- Why it’s correct: “Isn’t” is a negative verb. We must use “anything” in negative sentences to show zero quantity.
- Error Analysis: (B) “everything” is a meaning trap. (C) “something” is grammatically incorrect in a negative sentence.
5 (C) anything
- Why it’s correct: “Don’t forget” is negative. Therefore, we use “anything” to mean “not a single item”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “everything” means “I hope we don’t forget all our things” (implying forgetting some things is okay), which is illogical. (B) “something” is a grammatical error.
6 (B) Everything
- Why it’s correct: An affirmative sentence stating that all items (passports, tickets, etc.) are in perfect order.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Anything” cannot be the subject of this affirmative sentence. (C) “Something” is a meaning trap; it’s too weak to describe total organization.
7 (A) something
- Why it’s correct: This is an affirmative sentence describing a common situation: dropping an unspecified item (a sock, a coin). “Something” is perfect here.
- Error Analysis: (B) “anything” is a structural error in this affirmative sentence. (C) “everything” is a meaning trap (people don’t usually drop all their belongings under the bed).
8 (B) anything
- Why it’s correct: “Didn’t see” is negative, so it must be followed by “anything”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “something” is a major grammatical error with “didn’t”. (C) “everything” is a meaning trap.
9 (C) everything
- Why it’s correct: The speaker is exaggerating to show that chargers are used for all purposes.
- Error Analysis: (A) “anything” is a structural error. (B) “something” is a meaning trap (it limits the use to just one purpose).
10 (C) Everything
- Why it’s correct: Similar to question 2, Lisa lists multiple items (phone charger, laptop charger, battery) and bundles them into the summary word “Everything”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Anything” is a structural error. (B) “Something” contradicts the list she just made.
11 (B) anything
- Why it’s correct: A general Yes/No question asking if there is zero food or some food left.
- Error Analysis: (A) “something” is a common mistake. (C) “everything” is a meaning trap.
12 (A) everything
- Why it’s correct: An affirmative sentence indicating that 100% of the food bought yesterday has been consumed.
- Error Analysis: (B) “something” means they only ate one item and left the rest, contradicting the previous “No”. (C) “anything” is a structural error.
13 (B) something
- Why it’s correct: An affirmative sentence referring to a specific but unnamed item (“something sweet”).
- Error Analysis: (A) “anything” is grammatically incorrect here. (C) “everything” is a meaning trap.
14 (C) anything
- Why it’s correct: “Don’t have” is negative. It requires “anything” to express having zero food.
- Error Analysis: (A) “something” is grammatically incorrect. (B) “everything” is a meaning trap.
15 (A) something
- Why it’s correct: An affirmative sentence proposing a solution: buy an unspecified item of food later.
- Error Analysis: (B) “anything” is a structural error in this affirmative sentence. (C) “everything” is a meaning trap (they won’t buy all the food at the airport).
16 (B) everything
- Why it’s correct: The speaker wants Lisa to check the entire room as a whole. “Does everything (the whole room, all details) look okay?”
- Error Analysis: (A) “anything” asks if at least one thing is okay, which is not the goal. (C) “something” asks if just one specific thing is okay.
17 (A) everything
- Why it’s correct: An affirmative sentence summarizing the state of the room. All areas are clear.
- Error Analysis: (B) “anything” is a structural error. (C) “something” is a meaning trap.
18 (C) anything
- Why it’s correct: A standard Yes/No question asking if the receptionist gave any instructions at all.
- Error Analysis: (A) “something” is a common mistake. (B) “everything” is a meaning trap.
19 (A) anything
- Why it’s correct: “Don’t need to sign” is negative, strictly requiring “anything”.
- Error Analysis: (B) “something” is a grammatical error. (C) “everything” is a meaning trap.
20 (C) Everything
- Why it’s correct: The final conclusion. All preparations are 100% complete. “Everything is ready.”
- Error Analysis: (A) “Something” is too weak (only one thing is ready). (B) “Anything” is grammatically incorrect.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 EVERYTHING (The Ultimate Summary Word):
- Function: We use “everything” to talk about all the things in a group without naming them one by one. It acts as a summary.
- Example: Instead of saying “My clothes, my shoes, my toothbrush, and my phone are in the bag,” you can simply say: “Everything is in the bag.”
- Grammar Rule: “Everything” is a singular pronoun. It always uses singular verbs (Everything is ready, NOT Everything are ready).
2 SOMETHING (An Unspecified Item):
- Function: Used in affirmative (positive) sentences when you are talking about a single object, but you don’t know exactly what it is, or it doesn’t matter.
- Example: I dropped something under the bed. Let’s buy something to eat.
3 ANYTHING (Zero Quantity or General Questions):
- Function 1: Used in negative sentences (with don’t, didn’t, isn’t, aren’t, couldn’t) to show absolute zero.
- Example: We don’t have anything to eat. (We have 0 food).
- Function 2: Used in general questions to ask if an item exists.
- Example: Did you leave anything in the bathroom?