INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

Analyse the bold words in the text.

Everyone looks at nature differently. Maybe you’re somebody who has no interest in
nature and when you go somewhere green, you don’t notice anything, or maybe you
can name a few different plants and animals in your local park. However, for people
like David Liittschwage, nowhere in the world is without natural beauty. He sees plants
and animals everywhere he looks. David is a photographer for National Geographic
magazine and he wanted to show how much nature there is around us all the time, so
he took a green metal frame measuring one cubic foot to different locations around
the world. For example, to the middle of a forest, on the side of a mountain, in the
ocean and in a river. Nowhere was too far away or too difficult for David. Was he afraid
of anything? No, never. He spent three weeks in each place and he photographed
everything alive inside the green metal frame. This included photographing living
things as small as one millimetre in size. The result was a series of photos that show
over a thousand individual organisms in each cubic foot and a new view of our world
and its ecosystem.
Fill in the blanks with the words in bold.

some any no every

People
SOMEBODY
________________ anybody nobody everybody
someone anyone no one EVERYONE
________________

Things
something ANYTHING
________________ nothing EVERYTHING
________________

Places SOMEWHERE
________________ anywhere NOWHERE
________________ EVERYWHERE
________________
Look at the words in bold in the text again. Complete the
rules with ‘every, some, any, no’.
• - We use 1___________
some and 2____________
every in affirmative sentences.
• - We use 3___________
any in negative sentences and in questions.
• - We use 4_____________
no in affirmative sentences with a negative meaning.

• !!! However, in some cases, compounds of ‘some’ and ‘every’ can be used in questions.
- Where is everyone?
- Do you know everything about your best friend?
- Would you like something to drink? (offer)
- Can somebody help me, please? (request)
!!! We use singular verbs with indefinite pronouns.

• Everything is all right. Don’t worry.

• Is anybody in the office now?

• There is someone at the door.

• There wasn’t anything in the fridge, so we went shopping yesterday.

Compounds of some, every, no affirmative sentences

• Karen wants to buy something for her mother’s birthday.

• McDonald’s is a popular restaurant. You can see it everywhere in the world.

• Kelly waited for an hour but nobody came.

• Everything is very expensive in this store.

• There is nowhere like home.

• Someone is looking for you.

Compounds of any negative sentences
questions
• Sandra doesn’t have anybody to talk to.

• I couldn’t do anything to solve the problem.

• Don’t go anywhere. I need you at the office today.

• Does anyone know the time?

• Is there anything good on at the cinema these days?

Compounds of no affirmative sentences with a negative
meaning

• You know nothing about me.

(= You don’t know anything about me.)

• Trust no one.
(= Don’t trust anyone.)

• There is nowhere like home.

(= There isn’t anywhere like home.)
 Exercise: Choose the correct answer.
1. There is someone / anyone in my house. I am calling the police.
2. He told me anything /everything about the party last night.
3. No one / Anyone came to visit her. She got very upset.
4. Did you go anywhere/nowhere last weekend?
5. Anybody / Somebody called me yesterday.
6. There is anything/nothing in the fridge. Let’s eat out.
7. Everybody/Anybody likes Helen because she is very kind and helpful.
8. I’m flying to Paris tonight. Do you want anything/nothing from there?
9. Did you look everywhere/somewhere for your glasses?
10. Tell me nothing/everything about George. I don’t want to know.
 ANSWERS:
1. There is someone/anyone in my house. I am calling the police.
2. He told me anything /everything about the party last night.
3. No one / Anyone came to visit her. She got very upset.
4. Did you go anywhere / nowhere last weekend?
5. Anybody / Somebody called me yesterday.
6. There is anything/nothing in the fridge. Let’s eat out.
7. Everybody/Anybody likes Helen because she is very kind and helpful.
8. I’m flying to Paris tonight. Do you want anything/nothing from there?
9. Did you look everywhere/somewhere for your glasses?
10. Tell me nothing/everything about George. I don’t want to know.