some
some — determiner
1. placed in front of a noun when you are not saying exactly how many or how much y
placed in front of a noun when you are not saying exactly how many or how much you mean, because the precise quantity is unknown or does not matter
Minh put some sugar in her coffee before stirring it.
some + uncountable noun (sugar)
Can I borrow some money for the bus fare home?
There were some cookies left on the kitchen table after the party.
some + plural countable noun
Abigail bought some apples at the morning market today.
I need some help carrying these heavy boxes upstairs.
some + uncountable abstract noun (help)
- some money
- some time
- some people
- some water
- some help
- some food
Grammar Patterns
some + uncountable noun
some + plural countable noun
Usage Note
In questions and negative statements, 'some' usually changes to 'any' in neutral contexts, but 'some' is kept when the speaker expects a 'yes' answer: 'Would you like some tea?' (offering politely).
Common Mistakes
2. a considerable or impressive amount or number — used before nouns like 'time', '
a considerable or impressive amount or number — used before nouns like 'time', 'distance', or 'years' to emphasise that the quantity is large
We waited for some time before the doctor finally came out.
some time = a long period
Daichi had to drive some distance to reach the nearest hospital.
some distance = a long way
That restaurant has been around for some years now and is very popular.
The team put in some effort to finish the project before the deadline.
It took some courage for Folake to speak in front of so many people.
some + abstract noun = considerable quality
- some time
- some distance
- some years
- some effort
- some courage
- a considerable amount of
more formal and explicit about the large quantity
- quite a lot of
informal and more direct about the amount
Grammar Patterns
some + [time/distance/effort] + noun
Usage Note
Commonly paired with nouns that imply length, duration, or degree: 'some time', 'some distance', 'some years'. The meaning of 'large' comes from the noun choice, not from 'some' alone.
Common Mistakes
3. used with a singular countable noun to talk about a person, object, or location
used with a singular countable noun to talk about a person, object, or location that you cannot name, do not know, or consider unimportant
Some person kept calling and hanging up without saying a word.
some + singular person = unknown identity
There must be some reason why the flight was cancelled so suddenly.
Asher met some woman at the conference who knew his old professor.
We need to find some way to solve this problem before Friday.
some way = an unspecified method
Reema mentioned some place in the mountains that she wanted to visit.
- some person
- some thing
- some place
- some way
- some reason
- some day
- a certain
slightly more formal and implies the speaker does know the identity but chooses not to name it
- some kind of
adds extra uncertainty about the nature of the thing
Grammar Patterns
some + singular countable noun
Usage Note
Often implies that the speaker does not know the exact identity or thinks it is unimportant. Distinguished from determiner sense 1 because this sense is used with singular countable nouns only.
Common Mistakes
4. placed at the start of a sentence in front of a noun to show you are annoyed or
placed at the start of a sentence in front of a noun to show you are annoyed or disappointed with someone or something — you are often quoting a word that you then reject as inadequate or untrue
Some friend you are — you forgot my birthday completely!
informal disapproval: some + noun + you + verb
Some help that was — the instructions made everything worse than before.
Some vacation this turned out to be — it rained every single day.
Some expert he is — he could not even answer a basic question about his field.
sarcastic exclamation: some + role + negative follow-up
- some friend
- some help
- some expert
- some vacation
- what a
can express either positive or negative feeling, whereas 'some' in this sense is always negative
Grammar Patterns
some + noun + [subject + verb]!
Usage Note
Strongly sarcastic. The sentence structure is almost always 'Some + noun + subject + verb' followed by a clause or phrase that explains the disappointment. The noun typically names a role (friend, help, expert, vacation) that the speaker feels has been failed.
Common Mistakes
5. placed in front of a noun in an exclamation to highlight that a person or thing
placed in front of a noun in an exclamation to highlight that a person or thing is remarkable or of very high quality
That was some party — the music and the food were absolutely amazing!
informal praise: that was some + noun
Nellie gave some speech at the graduation ceremony last week.
That is some car you have got there — how fast does it go?
Chiara is some cook — her pasta dish won first prize at the competition.
some + role noun = that person is an excellent example of that role
- some party
- some speech
- some car
- some cook
- quite a
similar meaning but less emphatic than 'some'
- one heck of a
very informal, same function as 'some' in this sense
Grammar Patterns
some + noun!
Usage Note
Distinguished from the ANGER sense (determiner/4) by context and tone. This sense has a positive, admiring tone and often appears with 'that is/was' rather than in sarcastic inverted structures.
Common Mistakes
some — pronoun
1. used in place of a full noun phrase to talk about a quantity when the exact numb
used in place of a full noun phrase to talk about a quantity when the exact number or amount is not given or is not important
Ilan picked oranges from the tree in his yard and juiced some for breakfast.
some replaces 'some oranges' after the noun is introduced
Gabriela baked cookies and gave some to her neighbors across the street.
some replaces 'some cookies'
If you need paper for the printer, there is some in the desk drawer.
The children asked for water and Minh poured some into each cup.
Zayd bought apples at the market and shared some with his classmates.
- some of
- some left
- want some
- need some
- have some
- a part
more formal and exact, not a pronoun but a noun phrase
- none
zero amount: 'I have some, but she has none.'
Grammar Patterns
some of + noun phrase
some (standing alone)
Usage Note
Functions as the subject or object of a clause, replacing 'some + noun' when the noun is already known from context. Often followed by 'of' when specifying the group: 'some of the students'.
Common Mistakes
2. certain members of a group but not all of them, especially used as a pronoun to
certain members of a group but not all of them, especially used as a pronoun to refer to people without naming every individual
Some believe that exercising in the morning is best for your health.
some = some people, as subject
Some of the students passed the exam easily, while others found it hard.
Lauren agreed with the new plan, but some in the group did not.
some in the group = certain members
Some say the old house on the hill is haunted, but nobody has proof.
- some say
- some of us
- some of them
- some believe
- a few
implies a smaller number, not necessarily contrasting with 'all'
Grammar Patterns
some + of + group noun
some (as subject referring to people)
Usage Note
When used alone as a subject, 'some' almost always refers to people and means 'some people'. When a specific group is named, use 'some of + group'.
Common Mistakes
some — adverb
1. roughly or approximately — used when stating a number that is not exact
roughly or approximately — used when stating a number that is not exact
There were some fifty people at the wedding ceremony last Saturday.
some + number for approximation
Camila earns some forty thousand dollars a year at her current job.
The old building is some two hundred years old and badly needs repairs.
We walked some three miles along the beach before stopping for lunch.
some + distance measurement
- some fifty
- some hundred
- some three miles
- some twenty years
- approximately
more formal and less common in everyday speech
- about
the most common alternative, used in both formal and informal contexts
- roughly
informal, similar meaning
- exactly
precisely, without approximation
Grammar Patterns
some + number + noun
Usage Note
Always placed directly before the number. Cannot be used with exact, precise figures — it signals a deliberate round-off. More common in formal or written English than in casual conversation.
Common Mistakes
2. to a small extent or degree; slightly
to a small extent or degree; slightly
I am feeling some better after taking the medicine this morning.
some + comparative adjective (better)
The rain let up some in the afternoon, so we went for a short walk.
verb + some = slightly
Her French has improved some since she started taking weekly classes.
The noise from the street died down some after the manager asked for quiet.
- some better
- improved some
- let up some
- died down some
- a lot
to a great degree
Grammar Patterns
some + comparative adjective
verb + some
Usage Note
More common in American English than British English. In British English, 'a bit' or 'somewhat' are typically preferred. Often used with verbs of change (improve, let up, die down).
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: determiner/1
All four words indicate an unspecified quantity, but they differ in number and grammatical use. 'Some' is the most general and works with both uncountable nouns (some water) and plural countable nouns (some books). 'A few' is used only with plural countable nouns and suggests a small number, typically three to five: 'a few students arrived early.' 'Several' also works with plural countable nouns but implies a larger number than 'a few' — perhaps five to ten: 'Several passengers complained about the delay.' 'A couple of' is informal and usually means about two: 'I need a couple of minutes.' In a sentence like 'I have some friends in Taipei', the number is completely open; swapping in 'a few' narrows it to a small number, while 'several' makes it sound more substantial.
Common collocations
Phrases
- some kind of
- some sort of
- some of them
- some of which
- some of the time
Prepositions
- some of
Etymology
Comes from Old English 'sum', meaning 'a certain one, a certain quantity'. This word goes back to Proto-Germanic '*sumaz', and is related to Old High German 'sum' and Gothic 'sums'. Over time, the meaning expanded from 'a particular person or thing' to also cover the more general sense of 'an unspecified amount or number', which is now the most common use.