Which one is correct?
"Any letter"
"Any letters"
Let me provide the context: "Are there any letters in the post box?"
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1Both are correct.– Rand al'ThorCommented Dec 19, 2015 at 3:08
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Context would help.– bibCommented Dec 19, 2015 at 3:21
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@bib - I have edited my question and provided the context.– KirtiCommented Dec 19, 2015 at 3:46
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1@Hot Licks - Do you say "Are there any letters in the post box?" is correct? I am confused a little. Please help me.– KirtiCommented Dec 19, 2015 at 3:58
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1Either "Are there any letters" or "Is there any letter". The latter would imply that you were expecting a specific letter, vs just inquiring as to whether the mail had arrived yet.– Hot LicksCommented Dec 19, 2015 at 4:00
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3 Answers
"Any is normally used with plural and uncountable nouns in questions, negative and conditional sentences. We would normally require a/an before a singular countable noun. However, when we want to emphasise that any means of any kind, it is quite natural to use any with singular uncountable nouns." This has been nicely explained in detail at http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv303.shtml
Can you please use it in a sentence? Rand is right, both are correct... though in certain contexts I can see how one might be less appropriate or might contradict the intended meaning of what you're trying to say.
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I have edited my question and provided the context. Can you please enlighten me now?– KirtiCommented Dec 19, 2015 at 3:48
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Hm, you seem to know which is correct for the context of the example you've provided. 'Any' implies that the numerical quantity is unimportant and thus inclusive of all quantities. The answer to the question is yes regardless of whether there is a single letter or a thousand letters in the post box. Commented Dec 19, 2015 at 4:08
We use "any letters" when we mean "one or more" and we use "any letter" when we mean "it doesn't matter which one."
