give me any book you have

navi tasan

Key Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2002
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
Persian
Home Country
Iran
Current Location
United States
1) Give me any book you have on mathematics.
2) Give me any books you have on mathematics.

What is the difference between the meanings of these sentences?

Does #1 mean: "No matter how many books you have on mathematics, give me just one."?
Does #2 mean: "Give me all the books you have on mathematics."?

3) I really tried to make him tell me any secrets about his wife's past.

Does that mean that I tried to get all of the secrets he knew of his wife's past or I just wanted a secret about his wife's past and any secret would do?
 
1. Just one. It doesn't matter which one.
2. The word "any" doesn't mean "all"; however, it doesn't exclude "all" either.(See below.)

A: Give me any books you have on mathematics.
B: Do you want all of them?
A: Yes.

3. The person who made the statement knows what he means much better than I do.
 

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