Can we say "There should be any problem for Adam to eat that apple"?

Question

> There should be any problem for Adam to eat that apple. Is this a proper sentence? The use of *any* here seems to be an issue. For example it seems fine in sentences like: - I couldn't find any problems. .. and perhaps also in the following sentences too: - If Adam had any problems, let me know. - Were there any problems? - I sorted out any problems with the customers.

Answer 1

The sentence "There should be any problem for Adam to eat that apple" is not a grammatical sentence in English. The verb needs to be negated with the addition of "not" to correct the sentence. Your correct example, "I couldn't find any problems" included the "not" as a part of the contraction "couldn't." In the other two examples, you are allowing for the possibility of problems with "if" and "were." The best way to correct your original sentence is to move it to active voice and remove "There," but this still requires the adverb "not" to negate the action. For example, "Adam shouldn't have any problem eating that apple.