Some thing, Anything, Everything – English Grammar Exercises for A2
A car was broken into in the supermarket parking lot. You are standing near the scene, and a security guard is asking you questions. Read the conversation carefully and choose the best word (A, B, or C) to complete each sentence.
1 “Security Guard: Excuse me, sir. A car was stolen here. Did you see ______ unusual in the last ten minutes?”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
2 “You: No, I was looking at my phone. I didn’t see ______ at all.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
3 “Security Guard: Are you sure? The alarm was very loud. You must have heard ______.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
4 “You: Actually, I had my headphones on, so I didn’t hear ______.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
5 “Security Guard: Please check your own vehicle. Is ______ missing from your car?”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
6 “You: Let me check… No, my car is locked and ______ inside is safe.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
7 “Security Guard: Did you notice a tall man running past you? Was he carrying ______ heavy?”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
8 “You: Now that I think about it, I remember ______! A man wearing a black hoodie ran towards the exit.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
9 “Security Guard: Did he drop ______ on the ground when he was running?”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
10 “You: I looked at the ground, but I couldn’t find ______.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
11 “Security Guard: Don’t touch ______ on that blue car! We need to check for fingerprints.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
12 “You: Of course. I won’t touch ______.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
13 “Security Guard: We have to search the whole parking lot. We need to check ______ carefully.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
14 “You: The lights in this corner are broken. It is very dark, so it is hard to see ______ clearly.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
15 “Security Guard: I know. Unfortunately, the security cameras are also broken, so they didn’t record ______.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
16 “You: That’s terrible. Can I do ______ to help you catch the thief?”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
17 “Security Guard: Just tell the police ______ you know when they arrive. Do not hide any details.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
18 “You: I promise I have told you the whole truth. I don’t know ______ else.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
19 “Security Guard: Thank you for your cooperation. ______ will be okay, just stay here for a moment.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
20 “You: I really hope the police find ______ that leads them to the thief.”
(A) something
(B) anything
(C) everything
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: In questions, we usually use “anything” to ask if a thing exists or happened. (Did you see anything?)
2 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: In negative sentences (sentences with not or didn’t), we must use “anything” to mean zero things. “I didn’t see anything” means I saw nothing.
3 Key: (A) something
Explanation: In affirmative (positive) sentences, we use “something” when we are talking about an unspecified thing. The guard is sure the witness heard a noise.
4 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: “Didn’t hear” is a negative sentence. We must use “anything”.
5 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: This is a question asking if there is a missing item. “Anything” is the standard choice for general questions.
6 Key: (C) everything
Explanation: The witness means 100% of the items in their car are safe. We use “everything” to talk about all things.
7 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: A question asking about an unknown object. “Was he carrying anything?”
8 Key: (A) something
Explanation: This is an affirmative sentence. The witness suddenly remembers a specific (but unnamed) detail, so we use “something”.
9 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: A general question asking if an object was dropped.
10 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: “Couldn’t find” is a negative sentence. We use “anything”.
11 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: “Don’t touch” is a negative command. We use “anything” to say “do not touch a single thing.”
12 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: “Won’t touch” (will not touch) is a negative sentence. We use “anything”.
13 Key: (C) everything
Explanation: The guard wants to search 100% of the parking lot. “Everything” means all the things in the area.
14 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: When we use phrases that have a negative meaning like “it is hard to…” or “it is impossible to…”, we use “anything”.
15 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: “Didn’t record” is a negative sentence.
16 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: A general question asking about possibilities to help.
17 Key: (C) everything
Explanation: The guard wants the witness to share 100% of the details. “Everything” means “all the things you know”.
18 Key: (B) anything
Explanation: “Don’t know” is a negative sentence.
19 Key: (C) everything
Explanation: “Everything will be okay” is a common English phrase meaning the whole situation (100% of things) will be fine.
20 Key: (A) something
Explanation: This is an affirmative sentence expressing a hope to find a clue. We use “something”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Anything (Negative Sentences & Questions):
- We use anything mostly in sentences with not, don’t, didn’t, can’t, won’t.
- Example: “I didn’t see anything.” (It means you saw zero things). This is crucial for eyewitness reports when you want to prove you have no information!
- We also use it in general questions: “Did you see anything?”
- Something (Affirmative Sentences):
- We use something in positive sentences when we are talking about a thing, but we don’t know exactly what it is (or we don’t say its name).
- Example: “I heard something.” (Maybe a noise, maybe a voice, but a thing definitely exists).
- Everything (All Things):
- We use everything to talk about 100% of the things in a group or situation. It can be used in positive, negative, and question sentences.
- Example: “Everything in my car is safe.” (All my bags, money, and items are there).