 #17 (permalink) Fri Dec 11, 2009 7:20 am Do you have or Have you got |
|
|
Exception Cerberus and not a rule !!!!!!!
"Some" in this context is being used to mean "a quantity of or part of a larger object".
It is can be used as a more refined way of asking someone if they would like a quantity of what is on offer (and used nearly always in the higher society of years gone by).... Thus the connection in your example with "Lady X"
In high society it could be seen as very rude to ask using the "any" rule. No one would expect a high society Lady or Gentleman to want "any", rather they would only ever want "some".
There are many forms of this use:
Would you like some ...
Will you partake in some ...
Might I offer you some ...
There has been a great infuence on the development of the English language as we see it today and this development has produced many written works, dictionaries and such which nowadays "are taken as proof" that something is correct. The internet itself has contributed greatly to changes in the English language as more and more people use it for reference.
However, even though the language of years ago can still be found in the language used today, in many cases the real meaning/purpose has been long forgotton. "Instances of use" such as in this case should be correctly explained and not explained to ESL students as being a general rule!
Rob |
|
HamburgEnglish
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 464
|
