Grammar-Quizzes › Noun Phrases › Pronouns › Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite Pronouns
Refer to unspecified person(s) or thing(s)
Definite Noun vs. Indefinite Pronoun
| SUBJECT IS NAMED |
|---|
A personal noun or name is used when the person is known and when speaking about a specific individual. |
Tom caught twelve fish. |
Norman, Tom and I caught fish. |
Norman, Tom and I didn't give up. |
A fish got away. |
| SUBJECT IS AN INDEFINITE PRONOUN |
|---|
An indefinite personal pronoun is used when the person(s) is/are (1) unknown, not mentioned as a specific individual, or (2) when speaking in general. |
Someone caught twelve fish. (an unknown, specific one) Someone usually catches a fish on our fishing trips. (in general) |
All caught fish. (unnamed, specific ones) All usually catch fish on our fishing trips. (in general) |
Nobody gave up. (no specific one) Nobody gives up. (in general) |
One got away. (unknown, specific one) One usually gets away. (in general) |
Singular Agreement
Between indefinite pronoun and verb
Singular Indefinite Pronouns
¹none is singular in formal usage but plural in common (informal) usage.
²everyone, everybody, everything—singular in agreement with the meaning of "all".
³Used mainly in questions and negative sentences
Det — Determiners (e.g., an article, a quantifier, a genitive pronoun, or a negative marker before a noun)
Also see: Quantity Phrases, Another / The other, Each other/One another, Gender Neutral Pronouns.
Plural Agreement
Between indefinite pronoun and verb
Plural Indefinite Pronouns
¹none is commonly used with plural agreement; however, singular agreement is more formal.
C/NC Det — this determiner (marker) can be placed before a count or a noncount noun. However, here we are focusing on plural (count) agreement.
Anyone vs. Any One
Refer to a group or a specific one
Anyone / Any one
| ALL |
|---|
Use anyone or everyone as an indefinite pronoun to refers to a group. |
Has anyone seen my fishing pole? (anybody) |
Everyone is catching fish but me. (everybody) |
No one will help me find it. (nobody) |
| ONE |
|---|
Use any one or every one to refer to the individual or a single item. (The indefinte pronoun any or every modifies one.) |
Has any one of you seen my fishing pole? Any one (pole) will work well. |
Every one of you has caught a fish. Every one of the fish is big enough to eat. |
None¹ / Not one of you is helping me find my pole. |
¹none is more commonly used with plural agreement
Polarity in Indefinite Pronouns
Nobody / Anybody
Negative / Positive "polarity"
| NOBODY |
|---|
Use nobody as the subject of a positive statement. anybody = anyone |
| POSITIVE VERB |
Nobody fishes on the bridge after sunset.
|
| NEGATIVE VERB OR A QUESTION |
Nobody doesn't fish on the bridge after sunset. *I have never seen nobody fishing after sunset. *Not nobody fishes after sunset. *Hardly nobody fishes after sunset. Can nobody fish after sunset? |
| ANYBODY |
|---|
Use anybody when it is not necessary to say 'how many'. Use any after a negative verb or in a question. |
| POSITIVE VERB OR A QUESTION |
Anybody can fish if he/she/they want to. I have never seen anybody fishing after sunset. Not anyone fishes after sunset. Hardly anybody fishes after six o'clock. Can anybody fish after sunset? |
| NEGATIVE VERB OR A QUESTION |
*Anybody can't fish if they want to. |
*not used
Anybody alone does not have a negative meaning. It is only negative when used with not.
Everyone — their
Possessive refers to subject
Everyone's Problem - Gender Neutral Phrasing
| PROBLEM |
|---|
Although everyone is singular, it may include a group of individuals, some of which are male and others female. Because English is not blessed with a gender neutral singular possessive pronoun, people often use their when referring back to the subject. See Gender & Pronouns. |
Everyone had their hat. |
Everyone must file his income tax by April 15. |
|
| SOLUTIONS |
|---|
Some strategies that people use include: mentioning both possessive pronouns his or her (cumbersome), using 'slash' forms his/her, s/he or s(he) (awkward), or rewording the sentence to plural, which can result in All the people washed their feet (confusing). |
Everyone had his hat. Use "his" for both genders - formal but awkward. |
Everyone had her hat. Specify gender for all females. |
Everyone had their hats. (informal and commonly used) See Gender Agreement. |
Everyone must file his or her income tax by April 15. . |
Everyone is singular in agreement but has a meaning of "all". See Gender Neutral Pronouns.
- Soanes, Catherine. "Faceoff: ‘he’, ‘he or she’, ‘he/she’, ‘s/he’ versus ‘they'." OxfordWords blog, 6 June 2012. blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/06/he-or-she-versus-they. Accessed on 23 Aug. 2016.
Everyone w/ Genitive Pronoun
Refer to a particular person
Pronoun Reference
| REFERS TO SELF |
|---|
In some cases, the indefinite pronoun refers to the same person as the subject (agent) in the sentences. |
Everyone took his potato chips. (Every person had his own personal bag.) |
|
|
|
|
| REFERS TO ANOTHER OR OTHERS |
|---|
In other cases, the indefinite pronoun refers to a person or persons other than the subject (agent) in the sentence. |
Everyone took my potato chips. (Every person took my personal chips.) |
Everyone took their potato chips.(Every person took chips from another group.) |
Everyone took our potato chips. (Every person took chips belonging to us.) |
Everyone took his potato chips. (Every person took chips belonging to another guy.) |
Everyone took her potato chips. (Every person took chips belonging to another woman.) |
Indefinite Pronouns
Quantity-Phrase Agreement
| INDEF PRONOUN -– POSSESSIVE PRONOUN |
|---|
A singular pronoun is used when the indefinite pronoun refers to itself and is a single person or item. |
Everyone has his pole. |
Each has his hat on. |
One caught her first fish. |
Each brought his own lunch. |
Another caught his limit |
Everybody has her hopes high. (if all are females) |
Nobody has his pole ready. |
None has eggs in its body. (a fish) |
| EXPRESSION OF QUANTITY –POSSESSIVE PRONOUN |
|---|
A plural pronoun is used when the indefinite pronoun refers to itself and more than one person or item. The pronoun agrees with closest noun in the quantity phrase. |
All of the fishermen fry their (own) fish for
dinner. |
Some of us invite our wives on trips. (refers to the individuals) |
Some of the group likes its organization. (refers to the group) |
Some of the group like their privacy. (refers to the individuals) |
Half of you catch your "limit". |
Ten percent of the fish have old hook marks on their mouths. |
None of the fish had eggs in their bodies. |
A number of the fishermen were proud of their catches. |
Also see: Quantity Phrases, Another / The other,
Impersonal Pronouns
One — You / They
One → You & They
| YOU / ONE |
|---|
You is used informally in place of one when making general statements— talking about anyone, at any time. You is directed to the listener. It does not include the speaker. You is informal when used as an impersonal pronoun. |
You should exercise your dog. Your dog should get plenty of exercise. |
One should exercise one's dog. One's dog should get plenty of exercise. |
| THEY / THOSE PEOPLE (NOT US) |
|---|
They is used informally in place of naming people or a group. It refers to a vague group in another place, neighborhood (others), or to the authorities in charge. Using they instead of we distances the person from the group. |
They don't like dogs there. Their dislike of dogs is unusual. |
They say it will rain tomorrow. Their prediction is for rain tomorrow. |
They are raising taxes. Their tax-hike is unacceptable. (hike - rise) |
One is often used in general statements when we are talking about anyone, at any time. One includes the speaker and the listener. It is more formal than you.
* not used / ~ requires context to understand the meaning
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
Error and Solution
| ERROR |
|---|
*I met new someone. *I met some new one. |
Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee. (commercial ad)
|
He's a nobody. He's a real nowhere man. (Beatles) expression—a person of little substance and without direction in life |
I'm not nobody! informal expression |
| SOLUTION |
|---|
I met someone new . A modifier is placed after the indefinite pronoun. See "unbreakable words". |
Nobody likes Sara Lee. The double negative adds emphasis and attracts attention; however, it is informal for business and academic English. |
He's nobody. not important or not relevant to the conversation An article is not normally used. |
I am somebody! I am not unimportant. I exist! |
*not used, incorrect
Practice 1
At the Gym
Which indefinite pronoun can be used in the sentence?
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check 1-8" button at the bottom, or click the "check" button as you go.
Practice 2
Bath Time
Possessive Pronoun Agreement
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check 1-8" button at the bottom, or click the "check" button as you go.
Practice 3
Steve Jobs Resigns from Apple
Feb 1955 – Oct 2011
Read for Errors
This generation's most successful business leader is no longer leading a business. With Steve Jobs' resignation as CEO of Apple, some are asking questions about the future of the technology industry.
A cruel disease is forcing the 56-year-old Jobs, who has done as much as anyone to transform the world through technology, to give up doing what he does better than anybody.
Jobs has been battling pancreatic cancer and other health problems since at least 2004, and has already taken three leaves of absence. Not nobody in the tech world is surprised by his departure, but everyone is saddened.
It's a sad moment for the Silicon Valley business world, which is losing his talents. It's a sad moment for all of customers who have been delighted by the products he gave to the world. And it's a sad moment for Steve Jobs and his family.
He has been one of the most influential leaders in the information age, continually pushing engineers to design consumer-friendly products. Everybody are familiar with his vision of elegant design and simplified features. You can pick up anyone of his products and be impressed by its design. Each has a look and feel that delights consumers.
The business world wonders if there is another who have the vision to carry on the Apple product line. Tim Cook officially began as interim CEO of Apple. Every one at Apple hopes Cook will continue the vision of Jobs. However, the price of Apple stock dropped the day after Jobs resigned. Nobody doubts that the stock will rise again soon with the release of the next iPhone or iPad product.
Everybody who are making PCs, tablets, smart phones and cameras will continue to apply the lessons Steve Jobs put into the tech mind-set. But what of those brand new categories he didn't have time to dream up?
battle (V) – fight
cruel (Adj) – making someone suffer or feel unhappy
category (N) – any general or comprehensive division; a class
leave of absence (N) – a period of time that one is to be away from his/her primary job, while maintaining the status of employee
influential (N) – having the power to affect the way someone or something develops, behaves, or thinks without using direct force or orders
impress (V) – to make someone feel admiration and respect
mind-set (N) – way of thinking
pancreatic cancer (N) – an illness of a gland inside your body that produces insulin
resignation (N) – self-terminating a job
Silicon Valley – an area south of San Francisco, California known for semi-conductors and other high-tech companies.
stock (N) – a financial share in a company
talents (N) – special skills or abilities
transform (V) – change; improve
vision (N) – an idea of what you think something should be like (in development)
24 Aug 2011 — Adapted from SFGate.com full story
Decide if each sentence is correct or incorrect.
- Select "correct" or "incorrect".
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check 1-8" button at the bottom, or click the "check" button as you go.
Related practice: Common Mistakes: Top 20 Agreement Errors | Agreement in Context | Agreement: Nouns with Modifiers
Related section: Quantifiers.