Indirect Question /any

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Indirect Question /any
Message from mrenglish2015 posted on 10-03-2015 at 09:24:17 (D | E | F)
Hello,
could you help me with this confusing sentence please?
we know that we use '' any'' in negatives and questions and affirmatives with words referring to negatives such as hardly , never ............
but if we have this question what should we do?
Paul asked me '' did you bring me anything special from ... ?''

Can we say Paul asked me if I [had]brought him anything or something ...?
I'm confused because the sentence in indirect question became statement, not question , didn't it?
Please help me .
Thanks to everyone .

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Edited by lucile83 on 10-03-2015 11:24

Re: Indirect Question /any from gerondif, posted on 10-03-2015 at 11:22:13 (D | E)
Hello,
"some" means that you know that it exists. There is somebody in the garden.
"any" means that you wonder if it exists and don't know if the answer is yes or no. Did you bring me anything from the supermarket ?
"any" in a negative sentence means that you know, because of the negation, that it doesn't exist, so you can't use a word like "some" which means that you know that it does exist, so you keep "any", not....any means then : not the slightest...." No, sorry, I didn't bring you anything special from Harrod's.

If you use "some in a question, then, it means that you know that the product exixts.
Waiter ! Can I have some sugar please ? is an order turned into a polite question: After all, what you mean is: Waiter! Bring me some sugar!!"

Now, imagine I come home from work, meet my wife living her usual life and ask he: "Did anybody come today?" I don't know if the answer will be yes or no.

Now, I come home from work, see my wife tied to a chair and notice that most of my valuables are gone. As I have a good sense of humour and a good insurance policy, I then ask her " Ah! Did somebody come?" The answer of course is yes and I know it.

So, in the indirect speech, those rules apply too:
I don't know if he has brought me anything special from Harrod's.
If you use "something" it is either because you suspect that he has indeed brought you something, or you intently wish it or hope for it.
"Hey!! Do you know if Mark has brought me something back from Harrod's ?"
I hope he has! Keep wishing!

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