Nothing vs. Something

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'Something' and 'nothing' can be considered two opposite indefinite pronouns in the English grammar. To know about their differences, read this article!

"Nothing" vs. "Something" in English Grammar

Main Similarity and Difference

'Something' and 'nothing' are both examples of indefinite pronouns.
They can be considered opposite, meaning that 'something' refers to a thing that is unknown or a thing that we do not know what it is.
On the other hand, 'nothing' means 'not anything'. It shows the lack of things.

Something is wrong here. I can feel it.

Nothing is wrong here. Relax!

As you can see in the examples above, these two sentences have completely opposite meanings because of the use of 'something' and 'nothing'.
Now, look at another example:

There's something you can do to help.

There's nothing you can do to help.

Bottom Line

As pronouns, the difference between 'something' and 'nothing' is that something is an uncertain or unspecified thing, while 'nothing' is not anything (no thing).

Comments

Anything vs. Anyone

'Anything' and 'anyone' are two indefinite pronouns that have somehow similar spelling but they refer to different things. Let's see their differences.

Anything vs. Anything Else

What is the difference between 'anything' and 'anything else'? Do they have the same meaning? Let's see their similarities and differences.

Anything vs. Anythings

Can 'anything' as an indefinite pronoun be used in plural form? Is 'anythings' correct in standard English? Let's find out.

Nothing vs. No Thing

In this part we will discuss the different spelling of nothing with and without space between the two parts and we'll see which one is correct and more useful.

Nothing vs. Not Anything

One of the differences between 'nothing' and 'anything' is that the former is a negative making indefinite pronoun and the former is not. Let's discuss them!

Everything vs. Every Thing

'Everything' is considered one word and it is an indefinite pronoun. But what about its alternate spelling with space between the two parts? Is it also correct?

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