Someone/anyone/you when addressing people

Buddy42

Junior Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
German
Home Country
Germany
Current Location
Germany
Hello,
let's imagine being on a class trip. The class is going to visit a museum and the teacher warns them before they enter it:
I want you to behave properly. I want to be sure that I won't catch
a) you touching anything.
b) someone touching anything.
c) anyone touching anything.

Usually, we replace "somebody", like in "to catch sb doing sth" with a noun or pronoun, as in a).
c) sounds acceptable to me as well, like in "anyone here in this class", no matter who. But it may also refer to any person in the museum.
b) makes me wonder...?

Which one is the most appropriate one in the situation mentioned above?
Thanks in advance
 
I want to be sure that I won't catch
a) you touching anything.

c) anyone touching anything.


Both of those work.
 
Replace 'anything' with 'something' in sentence B, and then it could work.
 
Replace 'anything' with 'something' in sentence B, and then it could work.
That's interesting. Why?
But b) is kind of weird then, right?
 
I'm not keen on B even with "someone" and "something". After "I don't want to catch ...", I'd expect "you", "anyone" or "any of you".
 
That's interesting. Why?
But b) is kind of weird then, right?
With the noted correction, I don't see anything odd about it. I can't elaborate why 'something' works when 'anything' doesn't.
 
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