Posted by rfvv on Friday, October 21, 2016 at 11:53pm.
1. Dogs can't see some colors.
2. Dogs can't see several colors.
3. Dogs can't see a few colors.
4. Dogs can't see any colors.
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Are they all grammatical? Can we use 'some,' 'several,' or 'a few,' together with 'not'? •English - Writeacher, Saturday, October 22, 2016 at 9:39am
I would use 1 and 4, depending on what's true.
For 2 and 3, your listener is probably waiting for you to name the colors dogs can see and those they can't see!
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Thank you for your help.
I found the following passage from a book.
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You do not use some as part of the object of a negative sentence. You do not say, for example, 'I don't have some money'. You say 'I don't have any money'. (from Collin Coubild English Usage)
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1. I don't have some money. (X)
2. I don't have any money. (O)
3. Dogs can't see some colors. (?)
4. Dogs can't see any colors. (O)
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According to the 'English Usage,' is #3 incorrect?
As it is, #3 is incomplete, but not totally incorrect. It would be much better to be specific: Dogs can't see some colors, such as blue and green.
Thank you for your help.
What about the following?
5. Dogs can't see a few colors.
(a few instead of 'some')
You still need to name some of the colors dogs can't see. If you don't, it's a vague statement that means almost nothing.
According to the passage from "Collins Cobuild English Usage," it is stated that you do not use "some" as part of the object in a negative sentence. Instead, you should use "any." Therefore, sentence #3 "Dogs can't see some colors" would be considered incorrect based on this rule.
To explain further, when using a negative construction, it is more common to use "any" instead of "some" to express the absence or non-existence of something. So, if you want to say that dogs cannot see certain colors, it would be more appropriate to use sentence #4 "Dogs can't see any colors."
It is important to note that this rule applies specifically to negative constructions. In affirmative sentences, it is grammatically correct to use "some" to talk about a particular but indefinite number or amount.