19 不定代词anything也可用在肯定句中

问：有这样一个句子：（1）The first indication anything was wrong came just minutes before the plane was due to touch down at Kimhae Airport near the southern port city of Pusan.请问：这是一个肯定句，在anything之前也没有否定词，那这里为什么用anything而不用something呢？

答：不定代词（indefinite pronoun）anything意为“任何事物，任何东西，任何事情等”（any thing，any one thing），通常用于疑问句、否定句和条件状语从句中替代something。例如：

（2）Do you know anything about cricket？

（3）Have you heard anything about the new Garrison Keillor book？

（4）Who knows anything about anything？（人间的事有谁能彻底了解呢？）

（5）We are not doing anything much at the weekend.

（6）If anything goes wrong, they always gets the blame.

（7）I shall meet you on Friday unless anything special turns up.

可是，anything不仅常用于上述疑问句、否定句和条件状语从句中。它也可用于肯定句中，并意为“无论什么东西；随便什么事情”（any-thing，event，situation，etc.，when it does not matter exactly which），表示事物的确切性质并不重要或并不知道事物确切是什么。例如：

（8）Anything is better than nothing.

（9）Please bring me something to drink. Anything will do.

（10）I’m very hungry—I’ll eat anything.

（11）To“stop supporting”our allies could mean anything from withdrawing our forces to ending all economic and military aid, or even conniving in their overthrow.

（12）I could have told him almost anything, and he would have believed me.

你所提问的句（1）即是这一用法，The first indication anything was wrong…（……出现了故障的第一个迹象）中，不用something而用anything就是这个道理。值得一提的是，anything用于肯定句，在与含有疑问或否定意思的词语连用时可译为“有没有什么……”等。例如：

（13）Tell me if there is anything wrong with this watch.