Indefinite Pronouns — Someone, Anyone, No One, Everyone

B1 — grammar, vocabulary, listening, speaking

Sofía: Somebody left their notebook on my desk!

Ben: Is there anything written inside it?

Kenji: Nobody touched it. I think everyone was at the library.

Abuela Carmen: Look closely! If there is nothing inside, it belongs to the future.

Common mistake: “Everybody are ready for the exam.” — Correct: “Everybody is ready for the exam.”

Indefinite pronouns refer to non-specific people, things, or places. In English, they always take a singular verb.

• some- somebody / someone — an unspecified person (affirmative)
• some- something — an unspecified thing (affirmative)
• some- somewhere — an unspecified place (affirmative)
• any- anybody / anyone — any person (questions and negatives)
• any- anything — any object (questions and negatives)
• any- anywhere — any place (questions and negatives)
• no- nobody / no one — zero persons (negative meaning, positive verb)
• no- nothing — not anything / zero items
• no- nowhere — in or to no place
• every- everybody / everyone — all people considered together
• every- everything — all items / totality of things
• every- everywhere — in all possible places
• -else something else — an additional or alternative thing
• -else somewhere else — in a different location
• -else anything at all — whatever thing without limitation
• -else nobody else — no other person
• -else everything else — all the remaining items
• colloquial someplace (AmE) — informal synonym for somewhere
• formal each person — every individual considered distinctly
• -ever whoever — any person who / anyone at all

• Somebody left a mysterious book in the classroom.
• Everyone loves the new music festival.
• There is something magical about the aurora.
• I want to travel somewhere warm this winter.
• I didn't see anyone at the library this morning.
• Nobody answered the telephone call.
• There is nothing in the wooden box.
• We couldn't find the key anywhere.
• Did anything strange happen last night?
• Is there anybody inside the ancient tower?
• Can someone help me carry these heavy books?
• Are you going anywhere exciting this weekend?
• Is there anything to eat? Yes, there is.
• Did anyone call for me? No, nobody did.
• Does everybody understand the rule? Yes, they do.

Practice

1. Everybody ___ ready to begin the lesson. (is, are, were)
2. I looked for my keys, but they were ___ to be found. (nowhere, anywhere, somewhere)
3. Did ___ call while I was out? (anybody, somebody, nobody)
4. There is ___ interesting in this magazine. (nothing, nobody, nowhere)
5. Would you like ___ to drink? (Polite offer) (something, anything, nothing)
6. Words like 'everyone', 'somebody', and 'nothing' take a singular verb.
7. In standard English, double negatives like 'I don't know nobody' are correct.
8. I opened the fridge, but there was ___ (nothing / anything) left.
9. Does ___ (anyone / someone) have a pencil I could borrow?
10. She packed her bags and went ___ (somewhere / anywhere) peaceful.
11. Unscramble: everybody, knows, the, secret, in, town
12. Unscramble: did, you, find, anything, interesting, there
13. Find the mistake: Everybody are happy today.
14. Find the mistake: I didn't see nobody at the party.
15. There wasn't anyone in the room. — Rewrite using 'no one'.
16. I saw someone in the garden. — Rewrite in the negative form using 'anyone'.
17. Everything went wrong during the rehearsal. — Write the opposite using 'nothing'.
18. Is there anything in the bag? (Short answer: No)
19. Did anyone find the missing map? (Short answer: Yes)

Listening

Sofía: Has **anyone** seen my blue sketchbook?

Ben: I searched **everywhere**, but I couldn't find **anything**.

Kenji: Look under the table! **Somebody** placed a stack of papers there.

Sofía: Ah, here it is! **Nothing** is lost after all.

Abuela Carmen: Remember, my dear: **everyone** finds what they seek when they look with calm eyes.

Reading

In the whispering forest of Whispering Pines, everyone knows the legend of the Star Stone. The tale says that someone placed a glowing gem inside an ancient oak tree three hundred years ago. Many adventurers have searched everywhere across the valley, but nobody has ever discovered its hiding place. Some believe there is nothing true in the old story, while others say that anyone with a pure heart can hear the stone humming in the twilight.

• Everyone in Whispering Pines knows the legend of the Star Stone.
• Someone found the stone last year.
• Many adventurers have searched across the valley.
• The legend claims the stone was hidden in a deep cave.