Anyplace and Anywhere

“Anyplace” is an adverb that means the same thing as “anywhere.” But there’s a difference: “anyplace” is considered colloquial or informal. It should generally be avoided in serious and straight-news contexts. Use “anywhere” instead: He could not find a good cup of coffee anywhere.

There’s a further complication. When used as a noun, in the sense of “any location,” the expression is two words: “any place.” That phrase is standard and acceptable in any context: He could not find any place that served good coffee.

(If you’re parsing at home, it’s clear that “any place” is a noun phrase there because it’s the direct object of “find.” In the previous example, “cup” is the object of “find,” and “anywhere” is an adverb modifying “find.”)

The same principles apply to noplace, no place and nowhere; everyplace, every place and everywhere; and someplace, some place and somewhere.

A few recent missteps:

•••

ATHENS — Anyplace else, they might be signs of progress: Traffic moves faster on once clogged streets. Cigarette smoking has dropped sharply. Far less garbage heads for landfills each day.

Make it “anywhere else.”

•••

But if the oil spill worked its way obliquely into Mr. Zeitlin’s script, the story he put on screen remained fundamentally hopeful: a modern-day Louisiana folk tale about the power of a tiny subculture — obscure, imperiled, but with more holidays than anyplace else on earth — to fight back against terrific forces of nature.

A bit trickier, but this is a noun use. Make it “any place else” or “any other place” or “anywhere else” (“anywhere” is one word as an adverb or a noun).

•••

“You can definitely build great companies elsewhere, but I have not seen anyplace in the world that builds true global franchises — technology-based franchises — like this place does,’’ said John O’Farrell, a partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, based in Menlo Park, Calif.

Again, a noun: make it “any place.”

•••

On his release, in 1962, he began to play music around Washington, first at backyard barbecues and churches — his parole officer would not let him play anyplace that served liquor — and eventually in clubs.

Make it “anywhere,” as an adverb. (Or if you want to construe “play” as a transitive verb, you could argue for “play any place” in the sense of “perform in any venue.”)

By Philip B. Corbett
Next lesson

Thảo luận, ý kiến hay thắc mắc
Cập nhập lần cuối cùng lúc 9:30h ngày 7 tháng 9 2014
Phạm Công Hiển