GRAMAR SECTION: INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

Esta semana desde la Academia Inglés Bilbao School te explicamos los pronombres indefinidos y te damos unos ejercicios para completar.

The Indefinite Pronouns are:

• • Somebody / Someone
  • Anybody / Anyone
  • Nobody / No-one
  • Everybody / Everyone
  • Something
  • Anything
  • Nothing
  • Everything

We use somebody / someone in positive sentences to speak about people and something in positive sentences to speak about things.

a) There is somebody / someone in the room.

b) There is something on the floor.

We use anybody / anyone and anything WITH not in negative sentences and in questions.

a) There isn’t anybody / anyone in the room.

b) There isn’t anything on the floor.

Nobody / no one and nothing is identical to not anybody / not anyone and not anything.

a) There is nobody in the room. = There isn’t anybody / anyone in the room.

b) There is nothing on the floor. = There isn’t anything on the floor.

We use everybody / everyone in positive sentences to speak about every person in a particular group and everything to speak about everything in a particular group.

a) Can everybody in the room understand me?

b) Please put everything in your bag. Do not leave anything in the classroom.

In most questions we use anyone / body / thing, but if the answer is probably “yes”, we use someone / body / thing. If the answer is definitely “yes” for every person / thing, we can use everyone / body / thing. If the answer is probably “no”, we use no-one / body/ thing.

a) Is there anything on the floor? No, nothing is on the floor

b) Is there someone at the door? Look! There is.

c) Is everybody listening? Good.

d) Is nobody listening? LISTEN TO ME!

We use something when we ask for things or offer something too.

a) Can I have something to eat?

b) Do you want something to eat?

Exercise 1

Grammar. Choose the correct word in each sentence:

a) There is somebody / anybody sitting on the chair.

b) There is nobody / anybody on the phone.

c) Everyone / Anyone loves chocolate.

d) There isn’t nobody / anybody in the room.

e) There is anything / something in the bag.

f) There is something / anything on the table.

g) Everything / Anything is in my bag.

h) There isn’t anything / something in the bin.

i) There isn’t nothing / anything in the box.

j) There isn’t anyone / no one over there.