Posted on 1-31-23

Some Continued:

Some, sometimes, someone, something, etc.

In the earlier post about ‘some,’ we spoke about it being a filler word for something already known. If this is the case, then describe it. Take the ‘some’ out.

And we learned ‘some’ is an unspecified amount or something unknown.

Some is generally used when it is unknown. Therefore, ‘some’ can be used when dealing with the unknown.

“Someone carried me to my room while I was unconscious.”

In this case, the person does not know. It would be acceptable to use. But if the person did know, then the more appropriate sentence would be:

“Alan carried me to my room while I was unconscious.”

And you wouldn’t use ‘some’ or any of the variants.

Another example:

“I poured some wine.”

Okay, this isn’t a bad sentence either, but how about:

“I poured wine.” OR “I poured a tiny amount of wine.”

Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t use ‘some’ or any of the variants. It is perfectly acceptable to do so. But consider your sentence structures and what you are trying to convey in each sentence. If you can explain ‘some’ and its variants, then do so. If it is an unknown, depending on the sentence, feel confident you can leave it.

Also, some and its variants are generally used in more positive sentences.

Example: Did something happen we should know about? (Here, we don’t know what happened, but expect a positive response or validation.)

And in contrast: Is there anything we should know about? (Here, we think there’s information we should know, and it’s more open-ended.)

Remember, there are no bad words, only overused ones.

Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to…

Write On!