What is the difference between "you may borrow any book you like" and "you may borrow any books you like"?
I couldn't find explanations for this question in my country's website, so it is so helpful for me if you could provide the information.
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1There is not a rigid difference between the two -- it depends a lot on the context and the formality of speech for those who are speaking.– Hot LicksCommented Jan 11 at 0:22
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5Common understanding would be you offered me any one book or many books.– Yosef BaskinCommented Jan 11 at 1:01
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How many books are you allowed to borrow?– Tinfoil HatCommented Jan 11 at 4:07
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Can you borrow any number of books, or any one regardless of value/size/rarity?– Stuart FCommented Jan 11 at 5:31
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1 Answer
The literal difference between the two statements is simple. "Book" says that you can borrow any one book; "books" says you can borrow more than one book.
People can and do use "book" when they mean you can borrow more than one. It's context dependant. In other similar sentences it would be clearer. If someone said "You can take any cake you like" they almost certainly meant you could take only one. "Any cakes you like" would certainly mean more than one.
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Note that in your "cake" example, "any cake" could refer to a variety of cake, not a specific cake. E.g. "You can choose any cake you like for your wedding."– BarmarCommented Jan 11 at 17:56
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1@Barmar True in your example. I deliberately chose "take" to eliminate that possibility. Commented Jan 11 at 18:42
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Yes; 'you may borrow any book you like' is ambiguous. It could be using the prototypical singular or the distributive singular. To specify 'one and one only', 'you may borrow any one book you like' can be used. Commented Jan 11 at 19:40
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@EdwinAshworth I think it would be clear in most contexts, and explicitly saying "any one book" feels redundant.– BarmarCommented Jan 11 at 20:05
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@Barmar Anything that pre-empts semantic disputes is far from redundant. Commented Jan 12 at 14:05