Someone vs. Someone Else

alternative pro-forms assertive pro-forms else indefinite pronouns some someone

What Is Their Difference?

'Else' is an adverb that is used after words beginning with 'some-', 'every-', 'any-', and 'no-', and after question words and adds a sense of exclusion meaning 'other than the persons/things mentioned or involved'.

Consider these two sentences:

Call someone and ask for help.

'Someone' is the more formal synonym of 'somebody'. It refers to a person who is not known or mentioned by name.

Call someone else and ask for help.

'Someone else' is someone apart from those mentioned or implied.

Look at another example:

It could be someone from homeroom or it could be someone else.

'Someone else' is someone apart from those mentioned or implied.

In general, if you come across 'someone else' in a text, then it implies that there was a previous person mentioned earlier in the text before that point.

I talked to someone about the attic ... but I had to speak to someone else about the garage.

Bottom Line

We can conclude that:
someone → any person
someone else → another person

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Someone vs. Everyone

'Someone' and 'everyone' are both indefinite pronouns that refer to unspecified persons. Here, we will discuss their similarities and differences.