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(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Grammar Videos
(ordered by category) Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
for your browser
Anything or Any Thing?
What Is the Difference between "Anything" and "Any thing"?
The Quick Answer
Anything
(pronoun) "something"- Tell me anything you remember from your childhood.
Any Thing
(noun phrase) "any object" or "something that is not a person"- There are unusual people and strange objects in the room. Put a sticker on any thing that could be related to the investigation. Do not put a sticker on a person.

- I cannot see anything.
- Is there anything you need?
- You can hide the ball inside any thing. You cannot give it to a person.
Quick Test on Anything and Any Thing
It's your go. Select the correct one:Anything
"Anything" (one word) is a pronoun that means a thing of any kind (i.e., a thing, no matter what it is).Examples of "anything" in sentences:
- Positive anything is better than negative nothing.
(Author Elbert Hubbard)
- When the sun is shining, I can do anything; no mountain is too high.
(Athlete Wilma Rudolph)
- A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
(Physicist Albert Einstein)
Any Thing
The two-word version ("any thing") is used to emphasize that you are referring to any object, as opposed to any person, animal, or idea.Examples of "any thing" in sentences:
- If any thing is sacred, the human body is sacred. (Poet Walt Whitman)
- You may not take pictures of people, but you can take a picture of any thing.
Example:
- He blurts any related thing that comes into his head.
- Every movie is like a little company, and any little thing can ruin it. (Businessmen Ryan Kavanaugh)
- Any things left unattended will be removed.
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