anything or something

[Liza]

Hi,

Could you tell me which word is correct into this sentence? And why?

Call the police if you see ........ suspicious.
1. anything
2. something

Thanks
Liza

[Yankee]

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'Anything' would be the most typical choice. The word 'any' (and similar words) is typically found in interrogative and negative sentences as well as in IF-sentences.

This does not completely rule out the possible use of 'some' (or 'something') in such sentences. However, using 'something' in your sentence would make the idea that you will see something suspicious seem more expected.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English