Someone vs. Someone Else

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

What is the difference in meaning when we add the adverb 'else' to the indefinite pronoun 'someone'? To find out the difference between the two, read this part!

"Someone" vs. "Someone Else" in English Grammar

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

Comments

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Someone vs. Something

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Anything vs. Everything

'Anything' and 'everything' are both pronouns that are used to refer to something. They have fairly similar spelling and structure, but what's their difference?

Anything vs. Any Thing

Are 'anything' and 'any thing' both acceptable words in standard English? If yes, are they interchangeable? If no, which one is correct?

Anything vs. Something

In this part, we are going to discuss the meanings and uses of 'something' and 'anything'. We will look at their similarities and differences.

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