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Anything and Everything in positive sentences.



 
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Anything and Everything in positive sentences. #1 (permalink) Fri Dec 25, 2009 16:05 pm   Anything and Everything in positive sentences.
 

Hello to all of you and Merry Christmas to all of you

Is it correct to say:

He was/ is surprised by anything.
He was/ is surprised by everything.

If so, which one would a native speaker choose?

Thank you in advance.
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Anything and Everything in positive sentences. #2 (permalink) Sat Dec 26, 2009 0:05 am   Anything and Everything in positive sentences.
 

Both are good; either could be chosen.
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Anything and Everything in positive sentences. #3 (permalink) Fri Jan 01, 2010 19:38 pm   Anything and Everything in positive sentences.
 

Hi Detlef

He was/ is surprised by anything.
He was/ is surprised by everything.


Although both these are correct, they don't have quite the same meaning ...

He was not surprised by anything that his son did .... ( any single thing )
He was surprised by everything that they told him... ( all the things )
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Anything and Everything in positive sentences. #4 (permalink) Fri Jan 01, 2010 22:07 pm   Anything and Everything in positive sentences.
 

James NL, thank you for your replies, but I have another sentence that makes it more clear:

'I doubt whether a woman like Tracy Kendall is surprised by much of anything anymore.'

Detlef
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Anything and Everything in positive sentences. #5 (permalink) Fri Jan 01, 2010 23:21 pm   Anything and Everything in positive sentences.
 

- He was not surprised by anything his son did; not even by the things that surprised everyone else.

- He was not surprised by everything his son did, but he was surprised by some of the things his son did.

I suppose the negation makes the words have different meanings.
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