Indefinite pronouns — someone, anyone, everyone, no one, something, anything, everything, nothing, somewhere, anywhere, everywhere, nowhere — refer to people, things, or places without specifying exactly which one. They appear in almost every piece of connected English, and they cause persistent errors in two main areas: choosing between some- and any- forms in different sentence types, and applying singular verb agreement. Understanding the system behind these pronouns will help you teach them clearly and address learner errors accurately.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
Look at the three sentences. They all describe the same event — a knock on the door — from different perspectives. What is different about each sentence, and why is a different pronoun used in each?
'Someone' is used in the positive sentence — we know there was a knock, so a person exists. 'Anyone' is used in the question — we are asking whether a person exists, so we cannot commit to 'someone'. 'No one' is used in the negative sentence — no person knocked. This pattern is consistent across all indefinite pronouns: some- forms (someone, something, somewhere) are used in positive sentences and sometimes in offers/requests. Any- forms (anyone, anything, anywhere) are used in questions and negative sentences. No- forms (no one, nothing, nowhere) are used as negative answers or negative statements — and critically, they are never combined with another negative verb ('No one didn't come' is a double negative and is incorrect).
Look at the verbs after the indefinite pronouns. Are they singular or plural? Does this surprise you, given the meaning of these words?
All indefinite pronouns — everyone, someone, anyone, no one, everything, something, anything, nothing — take singular verbs. 'Everyone is', not 'everyone are'. 'Somebody has', not 'somebody have'. This is a grammatical rule that conflicts with the meaning: 'everyone' clearly refers to many people, but grammatically it is treated as one (every single one). This is one of the most common errors with indefinite pronouns — learners hear 'everyone' and think 'plural', so they use 'are'. The rule is consistent and needs to be stated clearly: all indefinite pronouns take singular verbs. Note, however, that when an indefinite pronoun is followed by a possessive pronoun, singular 'they' is now standard: 'Someone has left their bag' — the singular 'they' is used because we do not know the person's gender.
Look at the -where forms. When is 'somewhere' used? When is 'anywhere'? When is 'nowhere'?
The same pattern applies to the -where forms as to the -one and -thing forms. 'Somewhere' is used in positive statements — we know a place exists. 'Anywhere' is used in questions ('Did you look anywhere?') and negative sentences ('I couldn't find it anywhere'). 'Nowhere' is used to say no place exists — 'I found it nowhere' — but again, it cannot be combined with another negative: 'I found it nowhere' is correct; 'I didn't find it nowhere' is a double negative and incorrect. 'Everywhere' refers to all places without exception and is used in positive statements: 'I looked everywhere.' This -where group follows exactly the same logic as the -one and -thing groups, which makes the system predictable once learners understand the basic pattern.'
| Form | Use / Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Refers to | Positive sentences | Questions and negatives |
| People | someone / somebody | anyone / anybody / no one / nobody |
| Things | something | anything / nothing |
| Places | somewhere | anywhere / nowhere |
| All (people) | everyone / everybody | (used in positive and negative contexts) |
| All (things) | everything | (used in positive and negative contexts) |
| All (places) | everywhere | (used in positive and negative contexts) |
| Verb agreement | Always singular | Everyone is. Something was. No one has. |
SINGULAR THEY AFTER INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
When referring back to an indefinite pronoun (someone, anyone, everyone, no one) with a possessive or object pronoun, English now widely accepts singular 'they/their/them'. 'Someone has left their bag in the classroom.' 'If anyone needs help, they should ask.' 'No one remembered to bring their register.' This avoids the awkward 'his or her' construction and is now standard in professional and formal English. Teachers should be aware of this and should not correct 'their' when it refers back to an indefinite pronoun — it is grammatically correct.
SOME- IN QUESTIONS: OFFERS AND REQUESTS
While any- forms are used in most questions, some- forms are used in questions that function as offers or requests — situations where the speaker expects a positive answer or is being polite. 'Would you like something to drink?' (offer — expected answer: yes). 'Can someone help me with these books?' (request — speaker expects someone will). 'Is there something I can do?' (offer of help). Learners who always use any- in questions will sound less natural in these specific contexts.
EVERY- FORMS IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SENTENCES
The every- forms (everyone, everything, everywhere) behave slightly differently from the some-/any-/no- groups. They can appear in positive and negative sentences: 'Everyone is here.' 'Not everyone agreed.' 'Everything was ready.' 'Not everything went well.' When negated, the negative word (not) comes before every-, not after it: 'Not everyone came' rather than 'Everyone didn't come' — though the latter is possible, the former is more natural and precise.
WHICH INDEFINITE PRONOUN DO I NEED? - Positive statement, existence assumed? → Some- form (someone, something, somewhere). - Question (genuine, not offer/request)? → Any- form (anyone, anything, anywhere). - Negative verb in the sentence? → Any- form (anyone, anything, anywhere) — not no- form. - Negative meaning with a positive verb? → No- form (no one, nothing, nowhere). - After the indefinite pronoun, is a possessive or object pronoun needed? → Use singular they/their/them. - What verb form follows the indefinite pronoun? → Always singular: is, was, has — not are, were, have.
Choose the correct indefinite pronoun to complete each sentence.
Each sentence has one indefinite pronoun error. Write the correct sentence and explain the mistake.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — THREE SENTENCE TYPES (7 minutes): Write three sentences on the board about the same event: 'Someone called.' 'Did anyone call?' 'No one called.' Ask learners: 'What is different about these three sentences?' Draw out the positive/question/negative distinction. Establish the core pattern: some- in positive, any- in questions and negatives, no- for negative meaning with positive verb.
STEP 2 — BUILD THE TABLE (6 minutes): Build the full table with learners — people, things, and places across the three groups (some-, any-, no-). Add every- as a separate row. Ask learners to give examples for each cell. Draw particular attention to: no- forms always take a positive verb (double negative is wrong), and every- forms always take a singular verb.
STEP 3 — VERB AGREEMENT DRILL (6 minutes): Read out five indefinite pronoun subjects — everyone, something, no one, anyone, everything. After each one, ask learners to give the correct form of the verb 'be' in the present tense. Then ask them to form a full sentence. The aim is for 'everyone is' and 'everything was' to feel automatic.
STEP 4 — POSITIVE, QUESTION, OR NEGATIVE? (8 minutes): Write eight incomplete sentences on the board — some positive, some questions, some negative. Ask learners to choose the correct indefinite pronoun for each and explain why. Include one or two offer/request questions so learners encounter the some- form in question context.
STEP 5 — PRODUCE AND REFLECT (8 minutes): Ask learners to write six sentences about a recent event at school — two positive (using some- forms), two questions (using any- forms), and two negative statements. They can use no- forms or any- with a negative verb — both are correct. Share with a partner for peer checking. Discuss any disagreements.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
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