not anything还是not something

not anything还是not something

一般认为，something 用于肯定句，anything 用于否定句或疑问句，但请看下面的题：

“If you want a necklace, I’ll buy one for you at once.” “Oh, no. A necklace is not _________ that I need most.

A. anything              B. something           C. nothing               D. everything

【分析】此题容易误选A，机械地套用以下规则：something 用于肯定句，anything 用于否定句或疑问句。当然此规则在通常情况下是有效的，但此句不属通常用法。此题的最佳答案应是B，something 在此的意思不是“某种东西”，而是指“那种东西”或“这种东西”，即心中最想要的那种东西(相当于 the thing)。同样地，下面几题的最佳答案也是 something，而不是 anything：

(1) It’s not _________ that we want to talk about; let’s change the subject.

A. anything               B. something             C. nothing                 D. everything

(2) It’s not _________ I enjoy; I do it purely out of a sense of duty.

A. anything               B. something             C. nothing                 D. everything

(3) Self-control is not _________ that comes with your birth.

A. anything               B. something             C. nothing                 D. everything

(4) This is not _________ that would disturb me anyway.

A. anything               B. something             C. nothing                 D. everything