Polarity sensitive items

These items do not occur in positive declarative clauses.

Referred in CGEL as “non affirmative”.

Do you have any idea?

Some polarity-sensitive items are used also as non-polarity sensitive

Did you see anybody (non-affirmative)

Anybody can make promises (not polarity sensitive)

I didn’t see either of them

Either version would do

Will it ever end?

It will last for ever

I won’t stay long

It has been a long day

No one could stand the pressure

Everyone can stand for a minute

Polarity sensitive table:

Item	Grammatical category	Polarity-sensitive type	Licensing environment	Polarity-sensitive example	Non-polarity-sensitive use? (example)
any	Determinative	existential/degree polarity item	negatives, interrogatives, conditionals	Did you buy any books?	Any book will do.
any further	Degree/extent modifier	extent polarity item	negatives, interrogatives	I can’t go any further.
any longer	Adverb phrase	temporal polarity item	negatives, interrogatives	I can’t stay any longer.
any more / anymore	Adverb phrase	temporal polarity item	negatives, interrogatives	Do you work there anymore?
anybody	NP (fused determiner-head)	existential polarity item	negatives, interrogatives, conditionals	Did you see anybody?	Anybody can make promises.
anyone	NP (fused determiner-head)	existential polarity item	negatives, interrogatives, conditionals	Did anyone call?	Anyone can learn this.
anything	NP (fused determiner-head)	existential polarity item	negatives, interrogatives, conditionals	Did you find anything?	Anything can happen.
anywhere	Locative polarity item	existential polarity item	negatives, interrogatives, conditionals	Did you go anywhere?	You can sit anywhere.
at all	Adverb phrase	degree polarity item	negatives, interrogatives	I don’t like it at all.
by any means	PP	manner/degree polarity item	negatives, interrogatives	I don’t agree by any means.
can stand (idiom: tolerate)	VP idiom	idiomatic polarity-sensitive use	typically negatives and related contexts	No one could stand the pressure.	Everyone can stand for a minute.
either	Determinative / additive item	polarity-sensitive use	negatives	I didn’t see either of them.	Either version would do.
ever	Adverb	temporal polarity item	negatives, interrogatives, conditionals	Will it ever end?	It will last for ever.
in any respect	PP	extent polarity item	negatives, interrogatives	It didn’t change in any respect.
in any sense	PP	extent polarity item	negatives, interrogatives	It didn’t matter in any sense.
in any way	PP	extent polarity item	negatives, interrogatives	I didn’t help in any way.
in the least	PP	degree polarity item	negatives, interrogatives	I don’t care in the least.
long	Adjective/adverb (in construction)	duration polarity item	negatives	I won’t stay long.	It has been a long day.
still (certain uses)	Adverb	temporal polarity item	some negative/interrogative contexts	Do you still not understand?	I still understand.
yet (temporal “up to now”)	Adverb	temporal polarity item	negatives, interrogatives	Have they arrived yet?