indefinite pronouns

Pronouns are words that take the place of a noun. Pronouns can do anything that a noun can do. For example, they can be subjects or objects of a verb.

Unlike personal pronouns (e.g. he, she, they), indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific person or thing already named. They are indefinite words like someone, others, several or few.

Singular indefinite pronouns

The following indefinite pronouns are always singular:

• one
• anyone, everyone, no one, someone
• anybody, everybody, nobody, somebody
• another, the other
• either, neither
• each
• little, less
• much

Plural indefinite pronouns

The following indefinite pronouns are always plural:

• both
• few, fewer
• many
• others
• several

Indefinite pronouns that can be singular or plural

The following indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural, depending on the context:

• all
• any
• more
• most
• none
• some

Here are some examples:

• All of the cake is gone. [singular idea, since all is referring to cake]
• All of the cupcakes are gone. [plural idea, since all is referring to cupcakes]
• None of the meat has spoiled. [singular idea, since none is referring to meat]
• None of the apples have spoiled. [plural idea, since none is referring to apples]

Possessive indefinite pronouns

Unlike personal pronouns, indefinite pronouns do not have different subject, object and possessive forms.

However, an indefinite pronoun that refers to a person can become possessive by taking the ending ’s:

• I found somebody’s wallet on the hiking path.
• The server brought everyone’s order except Tim’s.