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Nov 6, 2024 · We use indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things without saying exactly who or what they are. We use pronouns ending in -body or -one for people, and pronouns ending in -thing for things: Everybody enjoyed the concert. I opened the door but there was no one at home.
‘ nobody ’ and ‘ not anybody ’ both mean ‘no person’: “There is nobody in the house.” “There isn’t anybody in the house.” By negating ‘ is ’ with ‘ not ’ (isn’t), ‘ anybody ’ is sufficient in this example. It is not necessary to use ‘ nobody ’ anymore. But: “Is anybody in the house?”
Words like 'something', 'everywhere', 'anybody' and 'no-one' are indefinite pronouns. We use them for people, things and places. People: somebody* / anybody* / nobody* / everybody*. Things: something / anything / nothing / everything.
Somebody means “someone” when referring to a specific person we are looking for or expecting. Anybody translates to “anyone” or “whoever” when it concerns questions or negations. Everybody refers to “all” or “everyone” when it involves all without exception. Nobody means “no one” when discussing the absence of anyone.
Indefinite pronouns in English grammar include something/somebody, anything/anybody, everything/everybody and nothing/nobody. We use indefinite pronouns to speak generally about something rather than mentioning a specific person, place or thing.
Feb 27, 2012 · "There is no significant difference between somebody and someone, anybody and anyone, everybody and everyone or nobody and no one. The -one forms are more common in writing; the -body forms are more frequent in speech in British English" [emphasis mine - Alex B.] (p. 548).
There is a subtle difference between 'anybody' and 'somebody' when used in questions. When we use 'anybody', we are not expecting someone to answer us. When we use 'somebody', we are expecting or hoping that at least one person will answer our question.
What is the difference between the two indefinite pronouns of 'anybody' and 'everybody'? In this part, we will go through their meanings one by one.
May 7, 2024 · Indefinite Pronouns – anyone, everyone, someone, no one. A pronoun takes the place of a noun. An indefinite pronoun tells us that we aren't sure what the actual noun is. We use these four indefinite pronouns when we aren't sure of the actual person's name.
In this lesson, I'm going to talk about the difference between someone, everyone, and anyone; and somebody, anybody, and everybody. Let's get started by looking at the meanings of these words and how we use them.
