When to follow the word "any" with singular or plural noun?

[Scott]

Consider the following examples:

1-- Without any reason, he jumped.

2-- Without any reasons, he jumped.

3-- The book did not have any error.

4-- The book did not have any errors.

5-- I wonder where the remote is. Do you have any idea?

6-- I wonder where the remote is. Do you have any ideas?

7-- I'll buy the car if the car does not have any scratch.

8-- I''l buy the car if the car does not have any scratches.

9-- Assuming there isn't any rule prohibiting it, let's do it.

10-- Assuming there aren't any rules prohibiting it, let's do it.

11-- Assuming there aren't any rule prohibited it, let's do do it.

12-- Assuming there isn't any rule prohibiting it, let's do it.


Which of those examples are grammatically acceptable? Which of those examples are strictly grammatically incorrect? What rules if any are there for the proper usage of the word "any"?

From reading it, I feel like the usage of the plural noun always seems acceptable (assuming the rest of the sentence is made to match). Thus, examples #2, #4, #6, and #8 seem to be acceptable.

However, the other way (using the singular) sometimes seems equally acceptable, but other times doesn't. #1, #5, and #9 all seem fine. #3 and #7 sound grammatically off to me, but maybe they are technically grammatically okay (even if less common).

Thus, as a writer, it might be best to use the plural form just to be safe since that always seems acceptable. However, as an editor or grader (or a computer programmer programming a grammar checker etc.), who is tasked with finding only objective errors in someone else's writing, would any of #1-#10 actually be technically wrong? If so, why? If they aren't all right, what's the rule to distinguish which of #1-#10 are right or wrong?

I believe #11 and #12 are both wrong. I include them to show that presumably the rest of the sentence has to also match too.

[teddyobas]

The 2,11 are grammatically wrong

[MrsCatInTheHat]

Consider the following examples:

1-- Without any reason, he jumped.

2-- Without any reasons, he jumped.

3-- The book did not have any error.

4-- The book did not have any errors.

5-- I wonder where the remote is. Do you have any idea?

6-- I wonder where the remote is. Do you have any ideas?

7-- I'll buy the car if the car does not have any scratch.

8-- I''l buy the car if the car does not have any scratches.

9-- Assuming there isn't any rule prohibiting it, let's do it.

10-- Assuming there aren't any rules prohibiting it, let's do it.

11-- Assuming there aren't any rule prohibited it, let's do do it.

12-- Assuming there isn't any rule prohibiting it, let's do it.


Which of those examples are grammatically acceptable? Which of those examples are strictly grammatically incorrect? What rules if any are there for the proper usage of the word "any"?

From reading it, I feel like the usage of the plural noun always seems acceptable (assuming the rest of the sentence is made to match). Thus, examples #2, #4, #6, and #8 seem to be acceptable.

However, the other way (using the singular) sometimes seems equally acceptable, but other times doesn't. #1, #5, and #9 all seem fine. #3 and #7 sound grammatically off to me, but maybe they are technically grammatically okay (even if less common).

Thus, as a writer, it might be best to use the plural form just to be safe since that always seems acceptable. However, as an editor or grader (or a computer programmer programming a grammar checker etc.), who is tasked with finding only objective errors in someone else's writing, would any of #1-#10 actually be technically wrong? If so, why? If they aren't all right, what's the rule to distinguish which of #1-#10 are right or wrong?

I believe #11 and #12 are both wrong. I include them to show that presumably the rest of the sentence has to also match too.

There are variables to consider. The main one with "each or any" when followed by "of" is if there are countable or uncountable nouns. If it is a countable noun, it needs to be plural. If it is an uncountable noun, it needs to be singular. This site gives a good explanation in Caveat 1: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-sent ... agreement/. Based on this, #3 and #7 are grammatically incorrect. Your assessment on the others is correct.

[Scott]

Consider the following examples:

1-- Without any reason, he jumped.

2-- Without any reasons, he jumped.

3-- The book did not have any error.

4-- The book did not have any errors.

5-- I wonder where the remote is. Do you have any idea?

6-- I wonder where the remote is. Do you have any ideas?

7-- I'll buy the car if the car does not have any scratch.

8-- I''l buy the car if the car does not have any scratches.

9-- Assuming there isn't any rule prohibiting it, let's do it.

10-- Assuming there aren't any rules prohibiting it, let's do it.

11-- Assuming there aren't any rule prohibited it, let's do do it.

12-- Assuming there isn't any rule prohibiting it, let's do it.


Which of those examples are grammatically acceptable? Which of those examples are strictly grammatically incorrect? What rules if any are there for the proper usage of the word "any"?

From reading it, I feel like the usage of the plural noun always seems acceptable (assuming the rest of the sentence is made to match). Thus, examples #2, #4, #6, and #8 seem to be acceptable.

However, the other way (using the singular) sometimes seems equally acceptable, but other times doesn't. #1, #5, and #9 all seem fine. #3 and #7 sound grammatically off to me, but maybe they are technically grammatically okay (even if less common).

Thus, as a writer, it might be best to use the plural form just to be safe since that always seems acceptable. However, as an editor or grader (or a computer programmer programming a grammar checker etc.), who is tasked with finding only objective errors in someone else's writing, would any of #1-#10 actually be technically wrong? If so, why? If they aren't all right, what's the rule to distinguish which of #1-#10 are right or wrong?

I believe #11 and #12 are both wrong. I include them to show that presumably the rest of the sentence has to also match too.

There are variables to consider. The main one with "each or any" when followed by "of" is if there are countable or uncountable nouns. If it is a countable noun, it needs to be plural. If it is an uncountable noun, it needs to be singular. This site gives a good explanation in Caveat 1: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-sent ... agreement/. Based on this, #3 and #7 are grammatically incorrect. Your assessment on the others is correct.

@CatInTheHat, none of the examples I provided have the word "of" at all. I don't doubt that #3 and #7 are incorrect, but I'm still not grasping the exact nature of the rule that determines this. Can you explain that a bit more?

[MrsCatInTheHat]

Consider the following examples:

1-- Without any reason, he jumped.

2-- Without any reasons, he jumped.

3-- The book did not have any error.

4-- The book did not have any errors.

5-- I wonder where the remote is. Do you have any idea?

6-- I wonder where the remote is. Do you have any ideas?

7-- I'll buy the car if the car does not have any scratch.

8-- I''l buy the car if the car does not have any scratches.

9-- Assuming there isn't any rule prohibiting it, let's do it.

10-- Assuming there aren't any rules prohibiting it, let's do it.

11-- Assuming there aren't any rule prohibited it, let's do do it.

12-- Assuming there isn't any rule prohibiting it, let's do it.


Which of those examples are grammatically acceptable? Which of those examples are strictly grammatically incorrect? What rules if any are there for the proper usage of the word "any"?

From reading it, I feel like the usage of the plural noun always seems acceptable (assuming the rest of the sentence is made to match). Thus, examples #2, #4, #6, and #8 seem to be acceptable.

However, the other way (using the singular) sometimes seems equally acceptable, but other times doesn't. #1, #5, and #9 all seem fine. #3 and #7 sound grammatically off to me, but maybe they are technically grammatically okay (even if less common).

Thus, as a writer, it might be best to use the plural form just to be safe since that always seems acceptable. However, as an editor or grader (or a computer programmer programming a grammar checker etc.), who is tasked with finding only objective errors in someone else's writing, would any of #1-#10 actually be technically wrong? If so, why? If they aren't all right, what's the rule to distinguish which of #1-#10 are right or wrong?

I believe #11 and #12 are both wrong. I include them to show that presumably the rest of the sentence has to also match too.

There are variables to consider. The main one with "each or any" when followed by "of" is if there are countable or uncountable nouns. If it is a countable noun, it needs to be plural. If it is an uncountable noun, it needs to be singular. This site gives a good explanation in Caveat 1: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-sent ... agreement/. Based on this, #3 and #7 are grammatically incorrect. Your assessment on the others is correct.

@CatInTheHat, none of the examples I provided have the word "of" at all. I don't doubt that #3 and #7 are incorrect, but I'm still not grasping the exact nature of the rule that determines this. Can you explain that a bit more?

I will have to go with "I was seeing something different" than what was actually in those two examples as I had a different issue on my mind when researching the issue. I do know that countable nouns are still a factor in determining whether it's singular or plural. If you go about half-way down this site: https://www.test-english.com/explanatio ... countable/ you will see an explanation of this.

[Scott]

@CatInTheHat,

I believe the nouns in all 12 examples are countable nouns. So would you say that all 12 examples are correct (except maybe #11 due to a different issue with #11)?

Or would you say that #1, #3, #7, #9, #11, and #12 are all incorrect, meaning even the following are incorrect:

#1-- Without any reason, he jumped.

#5-- I wonder where the remote is. Do you have any idea?

#9-- Assuming there isn't any rule prohibiting it, let's do it.

?

[MrsCatInTheHat]

@CatInTheHat,

I believe the nouns in all 12 examples are countable nouns. So would you say that all 12 examples are correct (except maybe #11 due to a different issue with #11)?

Or would you say that #1, #3, #7, #9, #11, and #12 are all incorrect, meaning even the following are incorrect:

#1-- Without any reason, he jumped.

#5-- I wonder where the remote is. Do you have any idea?

#9-- Assuming there isn't any rule prohibiting it, let's do it.@CatInTheHat@CatInTheHat

I think 1, 5 and 9 are fine. Awkward maybe but fine grammatically. I don't have any reasons that are new, just what I've mentioned before.