posted by rfvv yesterday at 8:51pm
1. He doesn't see any students in front of the school.
2. He doesn't see any student in front of the school.
[Are both okay? Which one is common?]
Writeacher yesterday at 11:00pm
Both are fine. #1 is probably used more often, but it would depend on what question was asked, to which this is the answer.
rfvv today at 2:38am
2. He doesn't see any student in front of the school.
3. He doesn't see a single student in front of the school.
[Does #2 mean #3?]
Yes, in the second set, 2 means the same as 3.
Yes, #2 and #3 have similar meanings. Both sentences express the idea that the person does not see any students in front of the school. However, there is a slight difference in emphasis.
In sentence #2, "He doesn't see any student in front of the school," the focus is on the absence of students. It implies that there are no students at all in that specific location.
In sentence #3, "He doesn't see a single student in front of the school," the emphasis is on the individual count of students. It emphasizes that not even one student is seen in front of the school.
So, while both sentences convey the same basic meaning, #3 adds emphasis on the fact that there are no individual students seen in that particular location.