Taka  +  683384 Thu, 05 Mar 09 05:19 PM  ・There is little, if any, difference between the two. If the 'if any' was put in front of the sentence or after the sentence as:  ・If any, there is little difference between the two. ・There is little difference between the two, if any. would it still sound OK? Taka Joined on Tue, Sep 7 2004 Japan Senior Member 2,625 Difference Between, Sentences

	RayH  +  683387 Thu, 05 Mar 09 05:26 PM These two sound OK: ・There is little, if any, difference between the two. ・There is little difference between the two, if any. This one sounds very odd. I would never use it. ・If any, there is little difference between the two. RayH Joined on Sat, Mar 22 2008 Contributing Member 1,555 Native speaker of U. S. English. Not a grammar expert. Difference Between

	CalifJim  +  683392 Thu, 05 Mar 09 05:30 PM Let me make a guess. If you researched the frequency of these, you would find that the placement of if any at the beginning of a sentence like this is extremely rare.  The frequency of the others would be found to be quite high.  The reason is most likely that any refers "back" to the adjective, and at the beginning of the sentence, the adjective has not yet been mentioned, so there is nothing yet to refer back to. CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,403 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Adjectives, Sentences

	Yankee  +  683393 Thu, 05 Mar 09 05:36 PM Hi Taka Beginning the sentence with "if any" would sound odd to me.  Using "if any" at the end tends to make "if any" sound like an unplanned part of the sentence -- i.e. an afterthought. That's my two cents. Yankee Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006 Connecticut, USA Veteran Member 6,500 Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain Sentences

	Kooyeen  +  683425 Thu, 05 Mar 09 07:30 PM Hmm. If "if any" isn't good at the beginning... would you say the same applies to all similar expressions? I just thought of this: If anything, you could try to read some books on this topic, but I doubt that would help you solve this specific problem. Is "if anything" ok at the beginning? I think that's actually the best position. Kooyeen Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005 Italy Senior Member 4,970 Parental Advisory / Explicit Posts

	Yankee  +  683438 Thu, 05 Mar 09 09:13 PM Hi Kooyeen, I'd say "if anything" can work at the beginning because the word "anything" is likely to refer back to something in the previous sentence. Something like this, for example: Q: What can I do to solve this problem? A: If anything, you could try to read some books on this topic, but I doubt that would help you solve this specific problem. In a question, it wouldn't be at all uncommon to see this: - What, if anything, can I do to solve this problem? Yankee Sentences

	Kooyeen  +  683451 Thu, 05 Mar 09 10:04 PM Ah, that makes sense. Thanks. Kooyeen