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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.