Home
Nursery Rhymes
Beauties of English
What is NEW?
Grammar
Intermediate Level
Advanced English
f.a.q
Tips
Plain English
Vocabulary
Etymology
Synonyms
Antonyms
TOEFL
GRE
GMAT
Your English Teacher
Business Letters
English Articles
Difficult Words
Social Letters
Successful Writing
Correct Usages
Short Stories
English Poems
English Songs
Famous Quotations

[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines

 

Indefinite Pronouns





Previous Page



Indefinite Pronouns :


The indefinite pronouns ( everybody / anybody / somebody / all / each / every / some / none / one ) do not substitute for specific nouns but function themselves as nouns (Everyone is wondering if any is left.)

One of the chief difficulties we have with the indefinite pronouns lies in the fact that "everybody" feels as though it refers to more than one person, but it takes a singular verb. (Everybody is accounted for.) If you think of this word as meaning "every single body," the confusion usually disappears. The indefinite pronoun none can be either singular or plural, depending on its context. None is nearly always plural (meaning "not any") except when something else in the sentence makes us regard it as a singular (meaning "not one"), as in "None of the food is fresh." Some can be singular or plural depending on whether it refers to something countable or noncountable. Refer to the section on Pronoun Consistency for help on determining the number of the indefinite pronouns (and the number [singular/plural] of the verbs that accompany them). There is a separate section on the uses of the pronoun one.

There are other indefinite pronouns, words that double as Determiners:

enough, few, fewer, less, little, many, much, several, more, most, all, both, every, each, any, either, neither, none, some


  • Few will be chosen; fewer will finish.

  • Little is expected.

    See the section on Pronoun Consistency for help in determining the number (singular/plural) characteristics of these pronouns.


    Related Links :


  • Personal Pronouns


  • Demonstrative Pronouns


  • Indefinite Pronouns


  • Relative Pronouns


  • Reflexive Pronouns


  • Intensive Pronouns


  • Interrogative Pronouns


  • Reciprocal Pronouns





  • English Glossary Index




    From Indefinite Pronouns to HOME PAGE










    footer for Indefinite Pronouns page