Some, any, little and a little

[imran]

Test No. incompl/elem-2 "Money accepted", question 6

Do you want ......... sugar in your coffee?

(a) some
(b) much
(c) any
(d) little

Test No. incompl/elem-2 "Money accepted", answer 6

Do you want any sugar in your coffee?

Correct answer: (c) any
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why we use any interms of sugar here why not some or little

[Torsten]

Dear Imran,

Many thanks for your interesting question. As a rule we use any in questions and negative statements while we use some in positive sentences.

We use a little sentences with a positive and little with a negative meaning.

For example:

There is a little sugar in my cup.
There is only little hope (not much) to win the race.

This is a very simplified explanation as there are more possible options.

Let us know if you any further questions. Regards
Torsten
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Gary]

we can say: would you like some coffee? why we can not say: do you want some sugar in your coffe?

[Alan]

It's really a question of quantity. When you ask: Do you want some coffee? - it is the main drink as also tea/chocolate/beer. But when you ask: Do you want any sugar? you are talking about a small amount because obviously it is a smaller quantity than the coffee.

Hope this helps
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[edgar]

I understand your explanation about the quantity, however Do you want any sugar?is still an offer and some is more usual in offers than any. So I do not think some is a wrong answer to this question.

[Alan]

This is not really an offer. To ask the question: Do you want some sugar? sounds very strange to me because it suggests to me that sugar is the alternative to the coffee whereas the sugar is merely a part of the drink.
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[Michael]

Don't know if this might be of any help, but I've come across the following saying:

We use "some" in questions when we want to encourage people to say "yes" or we want to appear especially polite.

I think this question is pretty -neutral- because we don't expect people to say yes (in fact, we don't know if he / she wants sugar in her tea at all)

Have you got any brothers or sisters ?
seems to be neutral too, we don't expect a certain answer

[Rohit]

If you were to rephrase the question, i.e
Do you want ......... sugar in your coffee?
( I would use some )
Rephrase to
Would you like some sugar in your coffee?
Would be more correct than
Would you like any sugar in you coffee!
And
When you ask some sugar the person would reply
yes, no , or 1 or 2 spoon / cubes …. Etc
And when you ask any sugar the reply would be
yes or no , which would need to be followed with the next question How much .
So though I don’t think “any” is wrong in this context, "Some sugar" is more appropriate!

[Jonmark]

Neither "some" nor "any" contribute to the sentence. "Would you like sugar in your coffe?" is the correct answer, though the correct answer is not provided as a choice.

So much for multiple-choice and language mavens, eh?

May I suggest that the teachers here refer to Strunk and White's The Elements of Style? I'll quote, if I may--
"Eliminate unnecessary words! Eliminate unnecessary words! Eliminate unnecessary words!"

[Alan]

As the creator of the 300+ tests, I feel I must speak up for multiple choice questions. What exactly do you mean by so much for multiple choice ...? On the particular point I suggested any as the answer to indicate that there is sugar here and the person is being asked whether they want any of it.
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[Tdol]

[Nikola Yordanov]

This is great! I have fun while learning. Thank you, very much!

[T.Ruth]

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Hi Guys! This is my opinion on this..In Grammar Tests, it's best to follow rules and apply them if one wants to get a good score..in ordinary conversations on the other hand, "Do you want some sugar in your coffee?" is comprehensible..

[Khetu]

[Nanucbe]

As Allen and T.Ruth suggest, it is better to learn grammar first and then use proper English in one's tests and written papers. Use one's own preferred constructions in local conversations. If you were too grammatical among your business associates and friends, you would lose them. best of luck, nanucbe.