Indefinite pronouns

 Indefinite pronouns

 

•They are words that replace nouns without specifying which noun they replace (remember- a noun is a person, place, or thing)

•Ex: another, everybody, everyone, everything, each, either, somebody, someone, something, both, few, many, all, most, none

Some pronouns are definite in that they replace a specific noun or another pronoun. But sometimes things aren’t so clear-cut. We don’t need to refer to anything or anyone definite. So what do we do for a pronoun? In those cases we use indefinite pronouns.

What are Indefinite Pronouns?

As the name suggests indefinite pronouns are pronouns that are not definite in meaning. In other words they are not specific in which noun they replace. They may be singular or plural, and must match the verb in number.
There are two categories of indefinite pronouns. The first category includes pronouns that refer to a nonspecific noun. These pronouns are:

anybody	anyone
anything	everybody
everyone	everything
nobody	none
no one	nothing
somebody	someone
something

Example:

Anything is possible if you believe.

The second category of indefinite pronouns are those that point to a specific noun whose meaning is easily understood only because it was previously mentioned or because the words that follow the indefinite pronoun make it clear. These pronouns are:

all	another
any	both
each	either
few	many
neither	one
some	several

Examples:

Many are planning to attend the party. (In this case the identity of the group that is going to the party would have already been mentioned.)
Would you like to try some of these cookies? (The word cookies makes it clear what some is referring to.)

Not to confuse you but keep in mind the pronouns in this group can function as adjectives if nouns directly follow them.
More Examples:

Many classmates are planning to attend the party.
I checked out some books from the library.

Singular and Plural Indefinite Pronouns
As mentioned previously indefinite pronouns may be singular or plural and the verb has to match in number. Below is the list of singular indefinite pronouns.

Another	Anybody
Anyone	Anything
Each	Either
Everybody	Everyone
Everything	Neither
Nobody	No one
Nothing	One
Somebody	Something
Someone

Examples:

There are three groups of participants, and each has its own requirements.
Someone special is about to arrive.

The following are plural indefinite pronouns:
Both
Few
Many
Several
Examples:

Few of the projects were good enough to go to the science fair.
Several of the documents were filled with errors.

Some indefinite pronouns may be singular or plural. It all depends on the noun it stands for. These pronouns include all, any, either, none, some, more, most. The rule states that when these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase, the pronoun must agree in number with the object of the preposition. The verb in the sentence must agree in number with the antecedent. Sound confusing? Here are two examples:

Most of the work is finished.
Most of the books are out of date.

In this case work requires a singular verb and books requires a plural verb.

Examples of Indefinite Pronouns

Would you like to see more examples? Here you go:

Does anybody have the time?
All are welcome to our house for Thanksgiving.
Tim doesn’t have any.
Michael passed his card to another.
Each brought a dessert to share.
Anyone can see what’s going on here.
Alice couldn’t hear anything at the concert.
Everything is going as planned
Everyone clapped when the movie ended.
Many missed the bus.
No one admitted to knocking over the base.
One could see the tornado forming from miles away.
Several turned out for the concert.
Somebody rang the doorbell.
Holly gave her ticket to someone.