We shook hands. I felt so shy that I could think of nothing to say, but Mrs. Strickland came to my rescue. She asked me what I had been doing with myself during the summer, and with this help I managed to make some conversation till tea was brought in. The Colonel asked for a whisky-and-soda.
"You'd better have one too, Amy," he said.
"No; I prefer tea."
This was the first suggestion that anything untoward had happened.
为何上面最后一句:一定句中却用了anything ？为何不是something呢？怎么样理解这里的一定句中的anything的意思使用方法？
This was the first suggestion that anything untoward had happened.
suggestion（征兆）后的同位语从句表示一种可能性，说话人对此并非非常确定，所以这是非一定语境，可以用非一定词。假如用了一定词something，则意味着说话人已经确认某件不好的事发生了。用非一定词anything，则意味着说话人并不确定，只不过觉得大概发生了不好的事。这就假如在疑问句中既能够用非一定词，也可以用一定词。比如：Have you seen anyting/something? 这里用一定词，说话人确信那里有东西。
