How do I use indefinite pronouns in sentences? #EnglishHelp

Do you know the difference between "someone" and "anyone"? Does it matter which word you use?

Do you know what an indefinite pronoun is?

These words are examples of indefinite pronouns. They're one of seven types of pronouns. It can be easy to confuse different types of pronouns.

Here are some examples of indefinite pronouns to help you understand these pronouns better.

When we talk about pronouns, we use of definite pronouns to explain a specific person or thing.

Examples: I, me, mine, myself, she, her, hers, herself, we, us

Indefinite pronouns are different: they don't explain a specific person, thing, or amount.

Examples: all, any, anyone, everyone, everything, few, many, nobody, none, one, several, some, someone

• I know they hired someone in our department. (unknown person 👤)

• Most of the cakes have been eaten at the party. (general amount 🍰)

• Nothing would cheer him up. He was upset all day. (absence 😔)

Subject/Object

Indefinite pronouns:

• act like nouns in a sentence

• can be used as a subject or an object in a sentence

Subject: Someone left their phone at the library

Object: He found someone to fix his laptop

Subject-verb agreement

Indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural. You must use the correct verb form for the subject.

Correct: One of us was going to university. ✅

Incorrect: One of us were going to university. ❌

• used as singular

• take a singular verb

List of singular indefinite pronouns with examples:

• another

  She had a party dress but decided to buy another. 🎉

  (She didn't like the first dress, so she picked a different dress.)

• anyone

  Is anyone interested in practicing piano? 🎹

  (Are there people who have an interest in practicing the piano?)

• anything

  You can do anything you want. ✨

  (You can choose to do whatever you like.)

• each

  He gave each of them a flower. 🌺

  (Every person got a flower from him.)

• enough

  She didn't read enough to pass the exam. 📚

  (She didn't read all the necessary materials to pass the exam.)

• everything

  Is this everything you'll buy today? 🛍️

  (Have you finished shopping for today?)

• less

  Remember: less is more. 👍

  (Keeping things simple can be better.)

• little

  Little did I know back then. 🤦‍♂️

  (Back then, I didn't know what I know now.)

• neither

  Neither of you knows how to swim. 🏊‍♀️

  (Two (or more) people can't swim.)

• no one

  No one has asked for her advice. 💭

  (Her advice is not needed.)

• nothing

  Nothing has been cleaned properly. 🧹

  (Things haven't been cleaned properly.)

• something

  The kids drew something on the wall. 🖍️

  (The kids made a picture on the wall.)

"Anyone" vs "Someone"

Anyone = any person

Anyone can attend the university if they pass the entrance exam. 🏫

(The university is open to all people who want to study.)

Someone = a specific person

They are hiring someone in the finance department.💰

(They need a person who has knowledge in finance, they can't hire any person.)

• used as plural

• take a plural verb

List of plural indefinite pronouns with examples:

• both

  Have you read both of the books? 📖

  (Did you read these two books?)

• a few

  The cakes are so delicious, I ate a few pieces. 🍰

  (I ate more than one piece of cake.)

• fewer

  Fewer have attended the festival because of the rain. 🌧️

  (A smaller number of people attended because of the rain.)

• many

  We sold our old clothes, many were in great condition. 👚

  (A lot of the clothes we sold were in great condition.)

• others

  Are the others late for the meeting? 📊

  (Some people may arrive late.)

• several

  Several of them took the wrong path in the forest.🌳

  (A number of people took the wrong path in the forest.)

• used as singular or plural

• take a singular or plural verb

List of singular or plural indefinite pronouns with examples:

• all

  singular: All I want is a quiet place to relax. 🌄

  (I want only one thing: a quiet place to relax.)

  plural: All of his brothers work in the army. 🪖

  (Every brother in his family has a job with the army.)

• any

  singular: Is any of the water left? 💦

  (Is there water to drink?)

  plural: Are any of the apples any good? 🍎

  (Do some of the apples taste good?)

• more

  singular: More is needed on this project. 💼

  (Extra resources are needed for this project.)

  plural: More are running at the marathon. 🏃‍♀️

  (A greater number of people are running in the marathon.)

• most

  singular: Most of the work is complete. 👨‍💻

  (They finished the majority of the work.)

  plural: Most of the cakes are already gone. 🍰

  (They ate the majority of the cake.)

• none

  singular: None of the pie was eaten. 🥧

  (They didn't eat the pie.)

  plural: None of the students finished their assessment. 📄

  (The students didn't finish their assessment.)

• some

  singular: Some of my makeup has faded. 💄

  (The makeup is starting to wear off.)

  plural: Some of the students have arrived early. 🧑‍🎓

  (Few students have arrived early.

• such

  singular: Such is the beauty of nature. 🏞️

  (This is the beauty of nature.)

  plural: Such are considered to be the best in their field. 🏆

  (These people are considered to be the best in their field.)