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CHARTER 13

The diagrammatic representations and simple explanalions offcred herc are designed specilically for students at this level. They appear to satisfythc clarity, simplicity and relcvance '    ^:

requiremcnts that Michael Swan suggests, though ihe trutlt they offer is only partial.

how thesc two words are ttsed. (Sce Figures 26 and 27 for rhe first sections of their entries on sonie and any.)

In contrast, Ronald Carter and Michael McCarthy, in their grannnar for advanced u sers (including teachers and language researchers), offer a significantly morę complex account of

i »r»b.

Sorrn* aity. struny vi*rSus    im-ins

Sorre .and any each have strong forms, whinh 9 stressed. and weak unstress;9d forms. The weak funn of some is pronounced /sam/.

The weak forms indicaće an indofmite quanUty of something: t Woutd you fika some cheese? a Are thara any mossagas on the answerphons?

Tho strong forms have different moon.ngs. The strong foim of some most typically means j certain* or 'a part cjlar' wher. used with smgular cour.t nouns:

*    Home child was erying behnd me throughout the whofe fhght and I nevar sJept

Strong forrn some contrasts w>th ot hors, alf or enough v/hen used with ptuial ccunt nouns jnd with non-count nouns:

[talkmg of student grarits)

s» Some students get substantfal amounts and others get nothing.

[talking of rined beans that need to be soaked before use)

1 A: But dry ones you hava tc soak them overnight and then get ńcf of that w a tar and stuff,

B:    fłight. And lentils as wali?

A:    Sonio ofthcm. Not alł.

•    \Ve'va got some bread but not enough for thrae people.

Strong form any ;s used most typically with singular count nouns and with non-count nouns to mean *it dces not matter which':

i lf you nava the wanranty, any authorised dealer can get it repaired for you.

» Any fruit juice will make you sick >f you dnnk enough of it.___

figurę 26: Screenshol 1 from the CD-ROM of the Cambridge Grammar of English by R Carter and M McCarthy (Cambridge University Press)

196 n

Sonw, <my e.łnd zero detennSner

Although some and any indicate an indefinite quantity, they are not used for large 01 unlimited indefinite quantities. The zero deterrniner indicates an indefinite ąuaniity without reference to size when used with non-count nouns and with plural count nouns

*: There are some metra blankets m the wardrobe >f you need them.

(an indefinite but limited number)

[govemment spokesman after a major earthquake]

< we need help from the International community. We need tents ano medicines and blankets.

(WeHTcod some-help from jhointoorotionoi eemroerwty. Wo noocl-some tor.tr, como mediano-: ond

- A^re there any frogs In that pond?

(indefinite but probably limited e^pectation of quantity) Do you have red ants in your garden?

(no e:<pectation about guantity)

figurę 27: Screenshot 2 from the CD-ROM of the Cambridge Grammar of English by R Carter and M McCarthy (Cambridge University Press)

Carter and McCarthy’s descriptions are ciearly more‘truthful’ than those in gram mars designed for lower levels, partly because they recognise that strong and weak forms represent different grammatical behaviours for some and any, but mostly because they explain everything in far morę detail than lower-level grammars do. Potential users, however, wouid need to apply the criteria of simplicity and darity, too, to see whether this exemplary modern grammar matched their own needs and levei.

E1 Using grammar bocks

Both students and teachers may consult grammar books for a number of reasons. For example, students may be drafting or re-drafting a piece of written work and may want to check that they are using some aspect of grammar correctly. Al terna tively, a teacher, having noticed that a student is making a lot of mistakes in one particular area, might tell that student to look up the language in a grammar book in order to understand it better. Perhaps a student gets back a piece of written homework whidi has correction marks on it highlighting grammatical problems; when the student is re-writing the homework, he or she can consult a pedagogie grammar (such as the Cambridge Grammar of English above). But students can also work through the explanations and cxercises in self-study grammars such as Grammar Practicefor Elementary Students, either on their own or because a teacher sets exercises for homework or as classwork. Finally, teachers ołten use grammar books to check grammar concepts, especially where students ask difficult guestions which they cannot answer on the spot, or where an area is so complex that they need to re-visit it from time to time to remind themselves of the fuli picture. Grammar books are also vital for the preparation of materials.

Exampie 15: Say and tell    Language:    verb complementation (say and

tell]

Age:    any

Level:    intermediate and above

A student has got a corrected piece of homework back from the teacher. The teacher has underlined the sentcnce He was tired of people saying him what to do. In the rnargin he has written Therc is a problem here with the verb ‘sny! Look at ‘Practical English Usage’, pages 509 and 510, and re-write the sentence before the next class.

When the student looks at Practical English Usage, she reads that both verbs can be used with direct and indirect speech and that say refers to any kind of speech whereas tell is only used to niean instruct or inform. Crucially, she reads that say is most often used without a personal object (see Figurę 28).

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