Any more and anymore are both correct words, but they’re not interchangeable and have different meanings. Anymore is an adverb referring to time that means “any longer.” Meanwhile, any more is a determiner referring to quantities. The word itself “determiner” is “determining” the amount of something.
(A determiner is a word used before a noun to show which thing you mean. For example, in the phrases ‘the book’ and ‘some books’, ‘the’ and ‘some’ are determiners.)
A helpful trick to help us choose which one to use is by remembering this sentence: “I shouldn’t eat anymore because I can’t eat any more food.” The first clause means “I no longer want to eat at present,” while the second one means “I can’t eat more food.” Hence, anymore talks about time while anymore talks about quantity.
When to Use Anymore
Anymore as an Adverb
Anymore is an adverb that talks about time. It means that something is not happening at present. Moreover, it can be a substitute nowadays, despite its uncommon usage. Additionally, it’s commonly used in negative statements.
Examples:
I’m so tired of doing the same things over and over again. I can’t do this anymore.
Shane and Matty just broke up; they don’t love each other anymore.
Whether we do this project or not, it doesn’t matter anymore.
I used to go to the beach or stroll in the park when I was still a student, but not anymore.
When to Use Any More
Any More as a Determiner
Any more is used as a determiner to describe “an indefinite quantity of something.” Since it’s a determiner, it’s “determining” something in the sentence. Hence, it may talk about a large or small amount, but it’s uncertain.
Furthermore, any more is similar to “some more.” While some more is more common in positive statements, any more is more common in questions.
Describing an indefinite quantity of something
Examples:
We ran out of food supplies today. Do we have any more sugar?
Is there any more cake left?
I bought too many clothes when I went on vacation last year. Hence, I don’t need to buy any more clothes.
I will cook dinner today if there are any more ingredients left.
Note: The underlined words in the previous sample sentences are the nouns or things described with an indefinite quantity by the determiner any more.
Expressing “additional” or “further”
Examples:
Stop feeding my friend any more of your lies.
We can’t afford any more children to raise.
I still need more details regarding the issue, but they couldn’t give any more information.
Is there any more to the story?
Conclusion: Anymore vs. Any More: Which One is Correct?
Both anymore and any more are correct words but mean different things. We use anymore as an adverb to mean “any longer,” whereas anymore as a determiner to describe an indefinite quantity of something and to tell something “further” or “additional.”
Tip: Cure writer’s block by using online dictionaries or grammatical tools to help you decide when to use anymore and any more.
References:
Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.) Any More or Anymore. In https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/ dictionary. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/any-more-or-anymore
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online. (n.d.). Anymore. Inhttps://www.ldoceonline.com/ dictionary. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/anymore
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Anymore. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anymore
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. (n.d.). Anymore. In https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/ dictionary. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/any-more?q=anymore
