Any means ‘some amount of something’. This word is mainly used in questions and negatives.
- Have you got any wool? No I haven’t got any wool.
- Has she got any friends? No, she hasn’t got any friends?
Any can mean ‘no matter which’
- Take any book you want. (It does not matter which book you take.)
- Come any day you like.
Any can mean ‘at all’.
- Is he any better?
The expressions ‘in any case’ and ‘at any rate’ mean ‘whatever happens’.
- We must stop him at any rate.
- In any case, we cannot allow this to happen.
Anyhow
Anyhow means ‘in any way’.
- Do it anyhow you like.
Anyhow can also mean ‘carelessly’.
- He finished the job anyhow.
Some
Some can mean ‘one’.
- Some person has taken my umbrella.
Some is also used to refer to an unknown number of people or things or an unknown quantity of something.
- I have planted some lilies in the garden. (I don’t say exactly how many lilies I planted.)
- I need some cheese.
Note that some is mainly used in affirmative sentences.
Some can also mean ‘approximately’.
- There were some ten people present. (= There were approximately ten people present.)
Somehow means in some way.
- I managed to do it somehow.
