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There are 3 sessions in the conference.

Session 1 starts at 1

Session 2 starts at 2

Session 3 starts at 3

In this situation, I'd like to say like....

I think I'm going to be late and arrive at 2. Will I be missing (any sessions / any(a) session)

Here, which one is right?

I think (any/a session) is better, because any sessions is like talking about unknown and unspecified sessions, which is not right here cause we are talking about one definite session that you and I both know about.

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  • This is a good question, but you have some typos that make it hard to tell what you're asking. For example you wrote: I think is better, because...
    – DJMcMayhem
    Commented Mar 26, 2016 at 6:35

2 Answers 2

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If understand your implication correctly, so that you would only be missing the single session (session 1), then yes you would use the singular 'any session'. However since you have clarified that it is session 1 anyway (and eliminated the possibility of it being the other two sessions), it would be more suitable to just say 'Will I be missing [session one]?'.

If there is the possibility that it could be more than the one session (e.g. perhaps you might arrive at 2:15 and miss out on part of session 2 as well), then you would use the plural form: 'Will I be missing any sessions?'

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  • Okay I got what you said. Then, how about this? : I don't have any information about the schedule, and I think I'm going to be a little late. And I say like "Will I be missing <any sessions / any session>? : Here, which one do you find better?
    – jihoon
    Commented Mar 26, 2016 at 7:43
  • In this case, where you can't choose one or the other, choose both! :) Just ask "will I be missing any session(s)?" The bracket indicates that the plural form is optional. If you're asking as part of speech though (where this obviously wouldn't work), you can say "Will I be missing any of the sessions?"
    – Inazuma
    Commented Mar 26, 2016 at 7:50
  • Okay, thank you so much, I think I'm getting it. So I can say like : Now that I watch your lips, you must have eaten < a candy / any candies > : Both are right, right?
    – jihoon
    Commented Mar 26, 2016 at 8:12
  • @jihoon You cannot. You could say “You must have been eating candies.”
    – user3395
    Commented Mar 26, 2016 at 13:08
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I'm posting this answer because the accepted one, along with the stilted question, may be confusing.

Any shouldn't be used before singular nouns in questions and negative sentences when referring to the amount [of the noun]. Instead, the indefinite article is used.

When any is used with singular nouns, it carries the emphasized meaning of “it doesn't matter which”. In speech, this is stressed, which I will denote in bold in the following sentence:

Ask any lawyer, and they will confirm what I said!

In this regard, any can be used in questions, affirmative, and negative sentences as well as with any type of noun.

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