SOME, ANY AND NEGATIVE FORMS IN BIASED QUESTIONS
The questions expressed by yes/no interrogatives are often biased according to the kind of answer the speaker expects, and are based on neutral, positive or negative assumptions.
If the speaker has a neutral assumption about the answer, non-assertive forms (any, anybody, ever, yet, etc. will be added to a positive interrogative:
Do you know anyone in Westminster?
Is the bank open yet?
With a positive assumption, assertive forms – some, somebody, always, already, too, etc. – are added to the positive interrogative:
Do you know someone in Westminster?
Is the bank open already?
Negative-interrogative yes/no questions are based on conflicting attitudes. The speaker had originally expected that the answer would be or should be positive, but new evidence suggests that it will be negative. This conflict produces a feeling of surprise, disbelief or disappointment. If the addressee is directly involved, the biased question can imply a reproach. In this type of question, nuclear negative forms – no, nobody, no-one, never, etc. – can be added to a positive interrogative:
Is there no butter? (There should be some butter, but it seems there isn’t.)
Do you know no-one in Westminster? (You ought to know someone, but it seems you don’t.)
Alternatively, non-assertive forms can be added to a negative interrogative:
Isn’t there any butter anywhere (BrE)/anyplace (AmE)?
Don’t you know anyone in Westminster?
Assertive forms can be added to a negative interrogative to reflect a positive bias despite an originally negative assumption:
Isn’t there some butter somewhere? (It seems there isn’t, but I expect there is.)
Don’t you know someone in Westminster? (It appears that you don’t, but I think you
must know someone.)
With offers, it seems more polite in English to assume a positive outcome, namely that the offer will be accepted. For this reason, the some forms are normal in such cases:
Would you like some more coffee? [BYU-BNC: KBK]
Do you want something, a soft drink before you go? [BYU-BNC: KCA]
