nothing etc.

[JSmiley]

Originally Posted by jiang

Does it mean everything and anything are always interchangeable? For example, I can say 'I can do everything/anything', 'I can't do everything' and I cannot do anything'. Is that right?

#1. I can do EVERYthing
:: I can do ALL things

#2. I can do ANYthing
:: I can do something that is not nothing, which means ALL things in this case; something is of course not nothing, so ANYthing means ALL somethings, so it can mean EVERything, and be interchangeable. ANYTHING and EVERYTHING are not always interchangeable!. Here, it means ALL things only because those things have not happened yet (we are using 'can'). Therefore in the future ANY (not none) thing that happens is also ALL things that will happen (because they have not happened yet).

#3. I can't do everything
:: I can't do all things, but I can do some things - easy to understand

#4. I can't do ANYthing
:: I can not do not not one thing - two 'not's together cancel eachother out!
:: I can not do one thing / I can do nothing

a. He can do nothing but cry. That means the only thing he can do is cry. Is that right?

:check: correct!

b. He can do anything but cry. That means the only thing he cannot do is cry. Is that right?

:check: correct!

In my dictionary under 'anything' it read (usu.) in interrogative and negative. But many examples, like the one above are statements. Could you please explain if there is any difference in meanings?

The meaning of the word 'any' will NEVER change! It doesnt change when you use it as ANYTHING, ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, ANYWAY, or ANYHOW.

However the meaning of the sentence will change based on how ANY is used.
::In #2, above (positive, future tense, possibility), the meaning of ANY and EVERY become the same because of the case or tense, but it still means 'not none'.
::In #4, above (negative, future tense, possibility), the meanings of NOT ANY and NOT EVERY become much different.

Good luck, I agree with you that it is confusing. I think it is a major step for a student when they can fully understand the usage of ANY. In any case, you should be able to understand it soon.

[jiang]

&
Dear JSmiley,

Thank you very much for your explanation. Now I understand it much better.
However, I want to make sure I understand everything perfectly. I hope you are patiently enough to read my explanation.

No.1
People who can resist EVERTHING except temptation is very likely to end up in prison.
:: People can resist all things.

No.2 People who can resist ANYTHING except temptation is very likely to end up in prison.
::People can resist all things in this case.

No.3
In my dictionary it read: any thing whatever; something ( in questions and with negative words):
Do you have anything for a toothache?
I don't have anything for your today.

(Also in the dictionary: no matter what:
She'll do anything to get promoted.
I can't see the different meaning in the first group and second group. Could you please explain them to me?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Originally Posted by JSmiley

#1. I can do EVERYthing
:: I can do ALL things

#2. I can do ANYthing
:: I can do something that is not nothing, which means ALL things in this case; something is of course not nothing, so ANYthing means ALL somethings, so it can mean EVERything, and be interchangeable. ANYTHING and EVERYTHING are not always interchangeable!. Here, it means ALL things only because those things have not happened yet (we are using 'can'). Therefore in the future ANY (not none) thing that happens is also ALL things that will happen (because they have not happened yet).

#3. I can't do everything
:: I can't do all things, but I can do some things - easy to understand

#4. I can't do everything
:: I can not do not not one thing - two 'not's together cancel eachother out!
:: I can not do one thing / I can do nothing


:check: correct!
:check: correct!



The meaning of the word 'any' will NEVER change! It doesnt change when you use it as ANYTHING, ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, ANYWAY, or ANYHOW.

However the meaning of the sentence will change based on how ANY is used.
::In #2, above (positive, future tense, possibility), the meaning of ANY and EVERY become the same because of the case or tense, but it still means 'not none'.
::In #4, above (negative, future tense, possibility), the meanings of NOT ANY and NOT EVERY become much different.

Good luck, I agree with you that it is confusing. I think it is a major step for a student when they can fully understand the usage of ANY. In any case, you should be able to understand it soon.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by jiang

Dear JSmiley,

I think I am totally confused. I have further questions on this:

No.1 Does it mean everything and anything are always interchangeable? For example, I can say 'I can do everything/anything', 'I can't do everything' and I cannot do anything'. Is that right?

They're not (though in some contexts they come close).

I already clean the house, cook the meals, organize the kids' social lives, act as an unpaid taxi-driver, and you expect me to be a perfect wife too? I can't do everything.

I'm sorry - my work schedule is ridiculous at the moment. I can't do anything else.

Originally Posted by jiang

No.2 I think I was confused by the meaning of each of the following sentences:
a. He can do nothing but cry. That means the only thing he can do is cry. Is that right?
b. He can do anything but cry. That means the only thing he cannot do is cry. Is that right?

Originally Posted by jiang

No.3 In my dictionary under 'anything' it read (usu.) in interrogative and negative. But many examples, like the one above are statements. Could you please explain if there is any difference in meanings?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.
Jiang

More later if necessary - I've got to go. Apologies to Jesse for cyber-transvestism.

b

[JSmiley]

No.1
People who can resist EVERTHING except temptation is very likely to end up in prison.

No.2 People who can resist ANYTHING except temptation is very likely to end up in prison.

These two sentences are logically very bad and I want you to stop thinking about them!

because:

Resisting temptation is a very hard thing to do. If the temptation is strong enough, ANYBODY will eventually lose to it. Your sentences say that most or all of the people on earth are likely to end up in prison!!! I hope that it is not true! I hope that this is not what you are trying to say! I hope that you will choose a different sentence to focus on. ANYTHING else!

Any of your other sentences, like #1,2,3,4 in the above post, will make it much easier for you to learn. THROW AWAY 'likely to go to prison.'

[jiang]

I checked my textbook and found I made a mistake. The sentence should be:

No. 1 A man who can resist EVERTHING except temptation is very likely to end up in prison.
:: He can resist all things.

No.2 A man who can resist ANYTHING except temptation is very likely to end up in prison.
::He can resist all things in this case.
Could you please see if my understanding is correct or not?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Originally Posted by JSmiley

These two sentences are logically very bad and I want you to stop thinking about them!

because:

Resisting temptation is a very hard thing to do. If the temptation is strong enough, ANYBODY will eventually lose to it. Your sentences say that most or all of the people on earth are likely to end up in prison!!! I hope that it is not true! I hope that this is not what you are trying to say! I hope that you will choose a different sentence to focus on. ANYTHING else!

Any of your other sentences, like #1,2,3,4 in the above post, will make it much easier for you to learn. THROW AWAY 'likely to go to prison.'

[JSmiley]

For your examples (finally grammatically correct!) you have understood the basic meaning of the EVERY and ANY parts of them.

However, the sentences themselves are very very very very bad. If they are actually written in a textbook, please go and cross them out now. Never use them to teach a class.

at least thats my opinion. Good luck. I think you have the right understanding, and you are just working with sentences that don't make much sense.

Good luck!

Jesse

[jiang]

Dear JSmiley,

Thank you very much for your patient explanation. Now I see. To make sure that I understand everything I have to ask you more questions:

No.1
I still have to use this example that I used all the time to make things less compicated ( I know this is a very bad sentence):

A man who can resist ANYTHING except temptation is very likely to end up in prison.
::He can resist all things in this case.
Here 'in this case' means 'situation' or 'condition'. Is that right?

No.2
This is the question that I posted last time. But I guess because you are angry with my example that you forgot to explain it. Could you please kindly explain it to me?

In my dictionary it reads: any thing whatever; something ( in questions and with negative words):
Do you have anything for a toothache?
I don't have anything for your today.

Also in the dictionary: no matter what:
She'll do anything to get promoted.
This is complicated because when it is used in questions and negative sentences the word means 'any thing whatever; something'. When it is used in statements it means 'no matter what'. I can't understand the definitions, that is: 'any thing whatever, something' and 'no matter what'.
Could you please explain them to me?

I hope these are the last two questions I ask you as far as this thread is concerned.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Originally Posted by JSmiley

For your examples (finally grammatically correct!) you have understood the basic meaning of the EVERY and ANY parts of them.

However, the sentences themselves are very very very very bad. If they are actually written in a textbook, please go and cross them out now. Never use them to teach a class.

at least thats my opinion. Good luck. I think you have the right understanding, and you are just working with sentences that don't make much sense.

Good luck!

Jesse

[JSmiley]

No. 1: Yes, I think you have got it.

No. 2:

Im having trouble understanding your definitions as well...

'anything' and 'whatever' can be synonyms like this:

Give me anything (and I don't care what). Give me whatever (you can spare).

'No matter what (happens)' and 'no matter how' are synonyms of ANYWAY, or ANYHOW in the following sentence:
::I will do it anyway / I will do it, no matter what (happens).
But
"I will do it anything." is wrong.
Also
"I will do anything" and "I will do it no matter what" have very different meanings.
and
"I will do no matter what" is wrong.
::I don't think 'no matter what' is a good definition of 'anything.' :-p

However this is possible:
Anything you give me will be okay. / No matter what you give me, it will be okay.

Hope that that helps you. If you are still confused about the definitions in your dictionary, then please copy the whole definition word-for-word and letter-for-letter in your post, so that we can see the complete thing.

I suspect that you may need a better dictionary!!!

[jiang]

Dear JSmiley,

Thank you very much for explaining the word so patiently. I think I understand it now. However, I still want to cite the text in my dictionary.The name of the dictionary is Random House Webster's Dictionary of American English edited by Gerard M.Dalgish. The quoted part is on Page 52:

anything ( I can't type pronounciation here): pron.1. any thing whatever; something:
[in questions]: Do you have anything for a toothache? [with negative words or phrases]: I don’t have anything for your today. 2.no matter what: She’ll do anything to get promoted.

What I didn't understand is why in questions and with negative words or phrases it means 'any thing whatever, something. when it is used in statements it means 'no matter what'. Since you said 'Im having trouble understanding your definitions as well...' maybe it is better to hear something from you.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Originally Posted by JSmiley

No. 1: Yes, I think you have got it.

No. 2:

Im having trouble understanding your definitions as well...

'anything' and 'whatever' can be synonyms like this:

Give me anything (and I don't care what). Give me whatever (you can spare).

'No matter what (happens)' and 'no matter how' are synonyms of ANYWAY, or ANYHOW in the following sentence:
::I will do it anyway / I will do it, no matter what (happens).
But
"I will do it anything." is wrong.
Also
"I will do anything" and "I will do it no matter what" have very different meanings.
and
"I will do no matter what" is wrong.
::I don't think 'no matter what' is a good definition of 'anything.' :-p

However this is possible:
Anything you give me will be okay. / No matter what you give me, it will be okay.

Hope that that helps you. If you are still confused about the definitions in your dictionary, then please copy the whole definition word-for-word and letter-for-letter in your post, so that we can see the complete thing.

I suspect that you may need a better dictionary!!!

[JSmiley]

from here, my best advice would be to look at some other dictionaries and see how they differ in their definition of 'anything.' I just checked and the oxford american says: "used to refer to a thing, no matter what"

From looking at both, I am understanding that it should be read as "ANYTHING is a thing, regardless of what that thing is (no matter what that thing is)"

so: 'no matter what' is not meant to be a synonym, but a qualifier for the meaning of what kind of thing anything can be.

Hope that helps.