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Something, anything, or nothing
Something fits positive sentences, anything fits questions, negatives and the sense of whatever, and nothing means not anything.
Quick rule
A positive sentence or an offer? Something. An open question, or a verb that already has not? Anything. Meaning not anything, with no other negative word? Nothing.
A thing you don't name. It fits positive sentences and questions where you expect a yes: Would you like something?
Used in questions and after not or never: I didn't buy anything. In a positive sentence it means any thing at all.
Not anything. It is already negative, so the verb stays positive: I have nothing.
How to choose
| Question | something | anything | nothing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does the word alone make the sentence negative? | No | No | Yes |
| Does it go after not or never (I didn't see ___)? | SometimesSometimes | Yes | No |
| Does it fit a plain positive sentence (I saw ___)? | Yes | SometimesSometimes | Yes |
Why it trips people up
Standard English allows one negative per clause, so nothing and not anything say the same thing in two ways. Something expects a yes; anything is neutral and appears after negatives and in open questions, or means "whatever" in positive sentences.
How each one works
Something
Positive sentence
There's something in my eye.
Offers: you expect yes
Would you like something to drink?
Something + to + verb
I have something to tell you.
Anything
After not
I didn't eat anything all day.
Open question
Do you need anything from the store?
Positive: any thing at all
You can order anything you want.
Nothing
The verb stays positive
There's nothing on TV tonight.
As the subject
Nothing happened.
Stronger than not anything
He said nothing about the accident.
What comes next
something plus adjective
I want to try something new.
offer or request plus something
Can I get you something?
not / n't / never plus verb plus anything
We didn't see anything strange.
open question plus anything
Is there anything I can do?
nothing plus singular verb (subject)
Nothing is impossible.
positive verb plus nothing
She knows nothing about cars.
Set phrases
Something
- make something of yourself
- to become successful in life
Anything
- anything but
- definitely not; the opposite of what was said
Nothing
- for nothing
- without paying
- it was nothing
- a polite reply when someone thanks you
Almost the same
I didn't buy anything.
The verb already has not, so anything follows.
I bought nothing.
Same meaning without not: nothing carries the negative and sounds stronger.
I bought something.
Positive: you did buy a thing.
Do you want something to eat?
An offer: you expect yes.
Do you want anything to eat?
A neutral question: you don't assume the answer.
In a conversation
- A:
Is there anything to eat? I'm starving.
- B:
Sorry, there's nothing in the fridge. I haven't gone shopping.
- A:
Then let's order something. Pizza?
- B:
Sure. Anything is fine with me.
Common mistakes
Wrong: There's hardly nothing left.
Right: There's hardly anything left.
Hardly already works as a negative, so it takes anything.
Wrong: Not anything can stop her now.
Right: Nothing can stop her now.
As the subject, use nothing. Not anything can't start a clause.
Memory trick
One negative per clause. If not, n't, or never is already there, use anything; if not, nothing does the job alone: I didn't see anything = I saw nothing. Something is the thing that is there.
It depends
- Nothing vs not anything
- Nothing is more emphatic (I did nothing). As the subject, the negative has to be nothing: Nothing will change my mind, not Not anything will. Anything and something can be subjects too: Anything is fine.
- Anything in positive sentences
- In a positive sentence, anything means "it doesn't matter which": Ask me anything.
FAQ
Something or anything in questions?
Both work. Anything is the neutral choice (Do you need anything?); something suggests you expect yes, as in offers: Would you like something to drink?
"I didn't do anything" or "I didn't do nothing"?
I didn't do anything is standard. Didn't do nothing is a double negative heard in some dialects, but it is not accepted in formal speech or writing.