there were any

USAGE SUMMARY

The part of the sentence 'there were any' is not correct and cannot be used in written English.
Instead you could use 'were there any', as in, "Were there any cookies left for me?".

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

You actually asked if there were any condoms in it.

Huffington Post

Not that there were any cons.

The New York Times - Books

I can't remember if there were any.

Harvard University

Mr. Sclafani denied there were any delays.

The New York Times

Man: I don't... think there were any?

The New Yorker

Even before I knew there were any.

The Guardian

If there were any misstatements, were they material?

Columbia University

They denied there were any special favors given.

The Washington Post

It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.

The Guardian

There were any number of problems with this logic.

The New York Times

He was unsure if there were any fire escapes there.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When expressing uncertainty about the existence of something, use "whether there were any" to introduce a clause indicating doubt or inquiry.

Common error

Avoid stating "there were any" in questions or conditional sentences. It is grammatically incorrect. Instead, use "were there any" to form a correct interrogative or conditional clause.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "there were any" typically functions as an incomplete or incorrect clause, often intended to inquire or express a condition regarding the existence of something. As noted by Ludwig AI, it is grammatically incorrect and should be used with caution.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Academia

20%

Science

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "there were any" appears frequently across various sources, it's generally considered grammatically incorrect, as flagged by Ludwig AI. The correct phrasing typically involves inverting the order to "were there any" for questions or conditional clauses. While this expression is common in news and media, it's best to avoid it in formal or academic writing. Pay close attention to sentence structure to ensure grammatical accuracy. Correcting this structure enhances clarity and credibility in written communication. The use of "were there any" is highly encouraged.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

were there any

Inverts the word order to form a grammatically correct question or conditional clause.

if there were any

Adds a conditional conjunction to indicate a hypothetical situation.

whether there were any

Introduces a clause expressing doubt or a question about existence.

if any existed

Rephrases to emphasize the existence of something under a condition.

were there ever any

Adds emphasis on past existence, suitable for reflecting on past possibilities.

did there happen to be any

Introduces a note of chance or contingency in the existence of something.

were any to be found

Rephrases to focus on the act of finding or discovering something, if it exists.

if there happened to be any

Combines contingency with existence for a more nuanced conditional statement.

provided there were any

Uses 'provided' to set a clear condition for existence or availability.

assuming there were any

Starts with an assumption to introduce a hypothetical scenario.

FAQs

How do I correctly phrase a question using "any"?

When forming a question, the correct structure is to invert the verb and subject. Instead of "there were any", use "were there any".

What's the difference between "there were any" and "were there any"?

"There were any" is typically grammatically incorrect and should be avoided. "Were there any" is the correct way to form a question or conditional statement.

In what contexts is "were there any" appropriate?

"Were there any" is suitable for asking questions, expressing doubt, or forming conditional clauses where you're inquiring about the existence of something.

What can I say instead of "if there were any" to sound more formal?

For a more formal tone, consider using "should there be any" or "in the event that there were any" to maintain grammatical accuracy and formality.