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Does anyone want a drink? vs. Would anyone like a drink?

The first sentence is perfectly fine. I just want to know whether the second one is correct and if so whether it's preferred to the first or not i.e more polite.

If the sentence was "Would you like a drink?", I would not ask the question because it is correct and common. What itches me is "anyone" in the second sentence.

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    I can imagine someone saying "That itches me" in the literal sense of causing skin irritation, but it seems archaic or dialectal. I don't think the figurative usage in this question text has any currency with native speakers. Sep 29, 2014 at 2:35
  • I might've mistaken it for something else. I cannot think off the bat. But what's important is that I learned from this mistake. Thank you very much.
    – learner
    Sep 29, 2014 at 12:35
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    You're not supposed to ask multiple questions in the same post, but that doesn't imply we can't usefully address multiple issues. Your English is already pretty good (excellent "About Me" in your profile, btw), so I can see why you're keen to have us check for even the slightest "deviation from standard". I assume you'd have taken note just the same if I'd edited your text, but (a) I wasn't 100% sure itches wasn't a regionalism, and (b) I think other users might benefit from seeing the comment. Anyway - thanks for the positive feedback. Sep 29, 2014 at 13:37

1 Answer 1

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Would anyone like a drink?

is OK, but more polite than Does anyone want a drink?, and you would be hoping for positive responses.

Does anyone want a drink?

is also OK but more of a casual request. The asking person probably would not care much if anyone wanted something or not.

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