Indefinite Pronouns

This detailed lesson covers Indefinite Pronouns in English with examples and a quiz to test your knowledge.

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"Indefinite Pronouns" in English Grammar

What Are Indefinite Pronouns?

Indefinite pronouns refer to people or things without specifying exactly who or what they are. They can refer to individuals or entities universally, make a sentence negative, or represent unspecified people, places, or objects. These pronouns are gender-neutral and can be singular, plural, or both.

Indefinite Pronouns: Types

There are different types of indefinite pronouns and each type is used in a slightly different way.

Assertive Indefinite Pronouns

Assertive indefinite pronouns, also known as assertive existential pronouns, refer to an unspecified set of people or items with a specific or known feature. Assertive pronouns are mainly used in affirmative sentences and can act as subjects and verb complements in sentences. Here is the list of assertive indefinite pronouns:

	Person	Thing	Singular/plural/both
Some	✓	✓	plural
Someone	✓	✗	singular
Somebody	✓	✗	singular
Something	✗	✓	singular

Assertive Indefinite Pronouns Referring to People

Assertive indefinite pronouns 'someone' and 'somebody' are used to refer to a person whose identity is either unknown or unspecified.
'Someone' is slightly more formal than 'somebody'. Otherwise, they are used interchangeably.

Somebody is here to see you.

We need someone strong to help us.

Assertive Indefinite Pronouns Referring to Things

'Something' is an assertive indefinite pronoun that refers to a thing or an object when its name or identity is unknown or unspecified.

There is something in my eye.

Non-assertive Indefinite Pronouns

Non-assertive (also called elective existential or elective/dubitative existential) indefinite pronouns select an unknown set of people or things without specifying their features. These pronouns are mainly used in negative statements and questions and function as verb complements but not subjects. Here is the list of non-assertive indefinite pronouns:

	Person	Thing	Singular/plural/both
any	✓	✓	both
anyone	✓	✗	singular
anybody	✓	✗	singular
anything	✗	✓	singular

Non-assertive Indefinite Pronouns Referring to People

'Anyone' and 'anybody' refers to a person whose identity is not important.
'Anyone' is slightly more formal than 'anybody'. Otherwise, they are used interchangeably.

I didn't see anyone at the book club.

She hasn't talked to anybody all day.

Non-assertive Indefinite Pronouns Referring to Things

'Anything' is used to refer to an unspecific object, event, situation, etc., without mentioning a particular feature or criterion.

I couldn't hear anything he said in the busy street.

I went to the store but didn't buy anything.

Universal Indefinite Pronouns

Universal indefinite pronouns include all items in a list, regardless of their identity or qualities. These pronouns can select a group as a whole, or select all members of the group individually. They are used in affirmative and negative statements as well as questions and can function as subjects and verb complements. Here is a list of these pronouns:

	Person	Thing	Singular/plural/both
every	✓	✓	singular
everybody	✓	✗	singular
everyone	✓	✗	singular
everything	✗	✓	singular
all	✓	✓	both
each	✓	✓	singular

Universal Distributive Pronouns

'All' and 'each' are both classified as universal distributive pronouns. 'All' refers to the total number of people or things considered as a group, whereas 'each' implies that all members of a group are considered individually, even if they are thought of collectively.

When the contestants finished the race, each received a trophy.

Here, the contestants are considered individually.

When the contestants finished the race, all received a trophy.

Here, the contestants are considered as a group.

Universal Indefinite Pronouns Referring to People

'Everyone' and 'everybody' are used to refer to all individuals in a group. 'Everyone' is generally considered more formal than 'everybody,' and is more commonly used in written language.

The secretary called everyone to tell them about the meeting.

Everybody loves him.

Universal Indefinite Pronouns Referring to Things

'Everything' is used to refer collectively to all members of a complete group of something, rather than referring to them individually.

You should tell her everything.

Negative Indefinite Pronouns

Negative indefinite pronouns refer to the absence of people, things, or places, and include no particular item. These pronouns are negative markers, which means they make the entire sentence negative and the verb remains affirmative. Negative indefinite pronouns can function as subjects and verb complements. Here is a list of these pronouns:

	Person	Thing	Singular/plural/both
nobody	✓	✗	Singular
no one	✓	✗	Singular
nothing	✗	✓	Singular
none	✓	✓	both

Negative Indefinite Pronouns Referring to People

'No one' and 'nobody' both refer to the absence of people. 'Nobody' is slightly less formal than 'no one.'

No one likes being criticized.

Nobody knows what happened to him.

Negative Indefinite Pronouns Referring to things

'Nothing' means no + thing. It refers to the absence of objects. Keep in mind not to use 'nothing' with another negative word such as 'not.'

There is nothing in this box.

Not 'There is ~~not~~ nothing in this box'.

Double Negation

In colloquial English, sometimes negative indefinite pronouns functioning as objects are used in already negative sentences to show emphasis. This is called a double negation:

I don't want to talk to no one.

'no one' is used to show the emphasis.

Using the Indefinite Pronoun 'Anybody' as the Subject

Alternative Indefinite Pronouns

Alternative indefinite pronouns refer to an item that is different from a previously mentioned one. They typically indicate the second of two people or things, which is different from the one that has already been mentioned or selected. These are versatile forms that can be used in affirmative and negative statements as well as questions and can function as both subjects and verb complements.

	Person	Thing	Singular/plural/both
the other	✓	✓	singular
others	✓	✓	plural
another	✓	✓	singular

'Others' is a plural alternative indefinite pronoun. It can be used to refer to both people and things.

We all should help others.

We can use 'the other' as a pronoun, especially to introduce an alternative to something or someone that has already been mentioned in the sentence.

He kept shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other.

When the indefinite article 'an' is used before 'other', it is written as one word: 'another'. 'Another' refers to an alternative or different thing or person.

Buy two shirts and get another for free.

Pronoun and Verb Agreement

Typically, a plural pronoun is used to refer back to indefinite pronouns. Look at the examples:

Everybody watched the show. They really liked it.

In this example, 'they' refers back to 'everybody.'

I talked to someone on the phone but I didn't catch their name.

Here in this sentence, 'they,' which is a plural pronoun, refers back to 'somebody.'

I didn't see anybody at the party. They had already left before I arrived.

Most indefinite pronouns are always followed by a singular verb even if they refer to a number of people/things.

Everybody knows that Toby and Angela are dating.

You know that 'everybody' means all the people in a group, yet we use a singular verb after it; that is why it is called a singular indefinite pronoun.

Does anybody want a drink?

'Anybody' refers to more than one person, yet a singular verb is used with it.

Making Possessives

Normally pronouns cannot take -'s to form possessive forms. However, indefinite pronouns can take -'s to form a possessive structure:

They were staying in somebody's house.

's is added to 'somebody' to indicate possession.

Is this anybody's wallet?

's is added to 'anybody' to show possession.

Negation with an Indefinite Pronoun

There are different ways of changing a positive sentence to a negative sentence using an indefinite pronoun:

When the indefinite pronoun is the subject of the sentence:

In this case, the best way is to use a negative indefinite pronoun that corresponds to what the subjects is referring to, whether it is a thing or a person. Take a look at these example:

Everybody is happy. ≠ Nobody is happy.

In this example, 'nobody' is the negative indefinite pronoun.

Something has changed. ≠ Nothing has changed.

As you know 'Nothing' is the negative alternative for 'something.' Keep in mind that an affirmative verb is used with the negative pronoun 'nothing.'

When the indefinite pronoun is the object of the sentence:

In this case you can either use a negative indefinite pronoun in a positive sentence or a non-assertive pronoun in a negative sentence. Both of these structures are correct and have the same meaning. Take a look at the examples:

I invited everybody.

Here in this example, a universal indefinite pronoun is used in a sentence with affirmative verb, that has an affirmative meaning.

I didn't invite anybody.

Here, a negative verbs is followed by an 'elective indefinite pronoun' which has a negative meaning.

I invited nobody.

In this case, an affirmative verb is followed by a negative indefinite pronoun which again has a negative meaning as the previous example.

Indefinite Pronouns in Negative Sentences

Using indefinite pronouns in negative sentences can be a bit tricky. Not all indefinite pronouns can be used in a negative sentence. The table below summarizes usage of indefinite pronouns in negative sentences.

	Subject	Object	Negative Maker
Universal	✓	✓	✗
Negative	✗	✗	✓
Non-assertive	✗	✓	✗
Assertive	✗	✗	✗
Alternative	✓	✓	✗

As you can see, negative indefinite pronouns are negative markers themselves, which means they cannot be used in a sentence that is already negative.

Review

Indefinite pronouns refer to unspecified things or people.

Universal: everything, everyone, everybody, all, each
Negative: nobody, no one, nothing, none
Non-assertive: anything, anyone, anybody, any
Assertive: someone, somebody, something, some
Alternative: the other, another, others

The table below summarizes their usage in different types of sentences.

	affirmative	negative	question
assertive	✓	✗	✗
non-assertive	✗	✓	✓
negative	✓	✗	✓
unviersal	✓	✓	✓
alternative	✓	✓	✓

Quiz:

Which of the following indefinite pronouns is used to refer to an unspecified person or thing in affirmative sentences?

Anyone

Somebody

Anything

Nobody

Sort the words to make a correct sentence using and indefinite pronoun.

seen

never

have

anything

this

Match each indefinite pronoun with its description.

Nothing

Another

Somebody

Everyone

Anybody

refers to a group as a whole or its individual members

indicates a different or additional thing/person

used in negative sentences to refer to an unspecified person

to an unspecified person in an affirmative statement

indicates the absence of thing and negates the sentence

Fill the blanks with the appropriate indefinite pronouns. (There is one extra option.)

There were a lot of people at the event, but

seemed to enjoy it.

There's

stuck in the printer; it won't work.

If you don't like this flavor, try

from the menu.

I didn't meet

familiar at the party last night.

I invited

to the party, but none of them showed up.

nobody

something

another

anyone

everyone

nothing

Which sentence demonstrates the correct verb agreement with a universal indefinite pronoun?

I told everyone he is welcome to join the party.

Everybody understands that their views may not be approved.

Everybody knows her role in the project.

Everybody were waiting for the its turn.

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Emphatic Pronouns

'Emphatic pronouns' are used to refer to a noun or a pronoun mentioned earlier. So they give more detailed information.

Interrogative Pronouns

There are five interrogative pronouns in English. Each is used to ask a specific question. In this lesson, we will learn more about these pronouns.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns show ownership and indicate that something belongs to someone particular. With their help, we can make a possessive phrase shorter.

Dummy Pronouns

Dummy pronouns function grammatically the same as other pronouns, except they do not refer to a person or thing like normal pronouns do.

Reciprocal Pronouns

When two or more people are doing the same thing and receiving the consequences of that action at the same time we use reciprocal pronouns.

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are matchmakers of English grammar. They come in the beginning of relative clauses and join two clauses together. Ready to learn about them?

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