Usage question "any" - paging copyeditors

[jack]

Can I say "My book doesn't have any major mistake?"[1] I'm suddenly unsure, and google doesn't help because 'any' is too common a word. Andor does anyone have OED?

[1] Originally 'faux pas', but that's confusing because it's spelt the same in singular and plural.

Comments

[miss-next.livejournal.com]

Yes, you can.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ooh good. Details? Citation? Amusing examples?

[miss-next.livejournal.com]

I tried to think of some, but I am in the middle of producing a batch of request-for-reference letters and my brain is b0rked. Sorry!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

*hug* No worries.

[yrieithydd.livejournal.com]

I'd say `any major mistakes' myself

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I'd meant to say. I know the plural is acceptable in this case, I wasn't sure if the singular was as well or not.

[mair_in_grenderich]

you can say "is there any reason", so any can take a singular.

I have a paper OED at home. I am not at home.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Wow! Musty and retro, that must be nice :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

what information did you want from the OED?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

How to use "any" :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

is http://www.answers.com/any&r not sufficient?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

That is cool, I didn't think of that. But it doesn't look to make it clear about the "doesn't have any major mistake" case. (And there's the American Heritage dictionary definitions, but I'm always leery about quoting from american dictionaries because 1/3 of the time someone pops up and says it doesn't apply outside the US...)

[mair_in_grenderich]

any adj 1. one or some (but no matter which) from three or more or from a quantity. 2. an appreciable or significant (amount etc) 3. whichever is chosen. ---pron any one, any number or amount. ---adv at all, in some degree. [OE]

paper dictionaries are more fun to look up words in because you get to see all the ones nearby that look fun and exciting. Do you know what an aorist is? Or where the Antonine Wall is?

Do you know what an aorist is? Or where the Antonine Wall is?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Hm. A New Zealand Lung Doctor and, um, something like the Maginot line? Or the son of Mr. Wall? *looks them up* Cool! That's useful.

My dad is fond of saying (which are not strictly true) "The Roman Empire conquered the entire known world, apart from Scotland" and "The Romans and the Scots, the fight of the best warriors in history between two bunches of men in skirts"

[fluffle.livejournal.com]

the singular is qualified by using is rather than are?

[angelofthenorth.livejournal.com]

I'd have put

My book doesn't have any major mistake, but may have some minor incorrect details.

One would probably say 'a' rather than 'any' tho

[sunflowerinrain.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't red-pen it. Perhaps you're unsure because the more usual phrasing would be "has no major mistake"? I prefer your version.

I wouldn't red-pen it.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

:)

Yeah, it doesn't quite say what I mean. In the original it was 'faux pas' instead of 'mistake' and I *did* use the plural, but I think the singular would have been possible but sound odd.

Perhaps the singular would make sense if most people *did* have one major faux pas, but most didn't. Which might be true, but I didn't want to say it...?

[chess]

My brain dislikes it, and would probably insert an 's' after 'mistake' if it was in a bit of text I was proofreading.