Collins Cobuild English Grammar (22 page)

Here is a list of indefinite pronouns:

anybody

anyone

anything

everybody

everyone

everything

nobody

no one

nothing

somebody

someone

something

     Note that all indefinite pronouns are written as one word except
no one
. It is always two words in American English, but in British English it can also be spelled with a hyphen:
no-one
.

used only with singular verbs

1.129
  You always use singular verbs with indefinite pronouns.

Is
anyone here?
Everybody
recognizes
the importance of education.
Everything
was
ready.
Nothing
is
certain in this world.

referring to things

1.130
  You use the indefinite pronouns ending in
-thing
to talk about objects, ideas, situations, or activities.

Can I do
anything
?
Jane said
nothing
for a moment.

referring to people

1.131
  You use the indefinite pronouns ending in
-one
and
-body
to refer to people.

It had to be
someone
like Dan.
Why does
everybody
believe in the law of gravity?

Note that indefinite pronouns ending in
-body
are more frequent in informal English.

used with personal pronouns and possessive determiners

1.132
  Although you use singular verbs with indefinite pronouns, if you want to refer back to an indefinite pronoun, you use the plural pronouns
they
,
them
, or
themselves
, or the possessive determiner
their
.

Ask
anyone
.
They’ll
tell you.
There’s no way of telling
somebody
why
they
’ve failed.
No one
liked being young then as
they
do now.
Everybody
’s enjoying
themselves
.
Everyone
put
their
pens down.

See paragraph
1.123
for more information about
they
used to refer to one person.

USAGE NOTE

1.133
  In more formal English, some people prefer to use
he
,
him
,
his, or
himself to refer back to an indefinite pronoun, but many people dislike this use because it suggests that the person being referred to is male.

If
someone
consistently eats a lot of fatty foods, it is not surprising if
he
ends up with clogged arteries.
Everybody
has
his
dream.

For other ways of using pronouns when you do not want to specify whether the person you are talking about is male or female, see paragraph
1.123
.

’s

1.134
  You add ’s (apostrophe
s
) to an indefinite pronoun to refer to things that belong to or are associated with people.

She was given a room in
someone’s
studio.
That was
nobody’s
business.
I would defend
anyone’s
rights.
Everything has been arranged to
everybody’s
satisfaction.

BE CAREFUL

1.135
  You do not usually add ’s to indefinite pronouns referring to things. So, for example, you would be more likely to say
the value of something
than
something’s value
.

adding information

1.136
  When you want to give more information about the person or thing referred to by an indefinite pronoun, you can use a phrase or a clause after it.

Anyone over the age of 18
can apply.
He would prefer to have
somebody who had a background in the humanities
.

1.137
  You can also use adjectives to add information. Note that adjectives are placed after the indefinite pronoun rather than in front of it, and that you do not use a determiner. You do not say
an important someone
, you say
someone important
.

What was needed was
someone
practical.
They are doing
everything
possible to take care of you.
There is
nothing
wrong with being popular.

used with
else

1.138
  If you have already mentioned a person or thing, and you want to refer to a different person or thing, or an additional one, you use
else
after an indefinite pronoun.

Somebody else
will have to go out there.
She couldn’t think of
anything else
.
Everyone knows what
everyone else
is doing.
He got that job because
nobody else
wanted it.

Note that if you want to show association or possession with an indefinite pronoun and
else
, you add the
’s
to
else
.

Problems always became
someone else’s
fault.
No one has control over
anyone else’s
career.

structures used with
some-
and
every-

1.139
  Just like nouns, indefinite pronouns are used as the subject, object, or indirect object of clauses. They can also be used as the objects of prepositions. The indefinite pronouns beginning with
some-
and
every-
are most often used in affirmative clauses.

Everything
went according to plan.
I remember
somebody
putting a pillow under my head.
‘Now you’ll see
something
,’ he said.
I gave
everyone
a generous helping.
I want to introduce you to
someone
who is helping me.
Is
everything
all right?

They are sometimes used as the subject of a negative clause.

He could tell that
something
wasn’t right.

Note that the indefinite pronouns beginning with
some-
cannot be used as the object of a negative clause, unless they are followed by a phrase or a clause.

He wasn’t
someone
I admired as a writer.

structures used with
any-

1.140
  Indefinite pronouns beginning with
any-
can be used as the object or indirect object of a question or a negative clause.

Don’t worry – I won’t tell
anyone
.
You still haven’t told me
anything
.
Take a good look and tell me if you see
anything
different.
I haven’t given
anyone
their presents yet.

They are often used as the subject of both negative and affirmative questions. Note that they are not used as the subject of a negative statement. You do not say, for example,
Anybody can’t come in
.

Does
anybody
agree with me?
Won’t
anyone
help me?
If
anything
unusual happens, could you call me on this number?

Note that when you are making an affirmative statement,
anyone
and
anybody
are used to refer to people in general and not to only one person.

Anybody
who wants to can come in and buy a car from me.