👤 Grammar · Pronouns
Indefinite Pronouns (Somebody, Anything, Nowhere)
Talk about unknown or general people, things and places with words like somebody, anything and nowhere — and know exactly which family to reach for.
Grammar › Pronouns › Indefinite Pronouns (Somebody, Anything, Nowhere)
The rule in one sentenceUse some- words in positive statements and offers, any- words in questions and negatives, and no- words when the sentence is already negative on its own — never combine no- with another negative word.
What are indefinite pronouns?
Indefinite pronouns let you talk about a person, thing or place without naming it exactly. English builds them from four prefixes — some-, any-, no-, every- — attached to three endings — -one/-body, -thing, -where — giving you words like someone, anything, nowhere and everybody.
The prefix you choose depends on the type of sentence. In a positive statement, some- is the default: Federico Fellini wanted something completely different for La Strada’s sound design. In questions and negative sentences, any- takes over: Did anybody warn Federico Fellini the runtime would hit three hours? I haven’t seen anything as visually inventive as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
🎬 Compare: “Is there anybody in this cinema who hasn’t seen Nights of Cabiria?” (a genuine question — you really don’t know) vs. “Is somebody going to explain the ending of A Dangerous Method to me?” (a request or a plea, not real information-seeking).
Both sentences are questions, but the second one behaves like an offer or a request, so it keeps some-.
No- words are already negative by themselves, so English never adds another negative word to the same clause: Nobody expected Mirror to divide critics so sharply on release — not “Nobody didn’t expect…”. Every- words talk about the whole group, with no exceptions: Everyone in the Marvel fandom recognises Stan Lee’s cameos. Everything about Spider (2002)’s bleak atmosphere feels deliberate.
Once you know the four families, the only real decision left is: statement, question, negative, or “all of them”?
How to build it
SOME- family
Someone in the crowd shouted the ending of Gaslight before the film even started.
Sergei Eisenstein gave October: Ten Days That Shook the World something no historical epic had done before.
Let’s watch Diary of a Country Priest somewhere cosy tonight.
ANY- family
Has anybody actually finished all 23 films in the Infinity Saga?
I haven’t seen anything as strange as Mirror.
We couldn’t find seats anywhere for the biggest opening weekend of the summer.
NO- family
Nobody predicted Shoeshine would win an Academy Award in 1947.
Nothing in Les Diaboliques prepares you for the twist.
There’s nowhere to hide from spoilers the week The Battleship Potemkin came out.
EVERY- family
Everyone in the audience gasped during A Night to Remember’s sinking scene.
Everything about Dead Ringers’ unsettling atmosphere still holds up.
Everywhere Antonio Ricci goes in The Bicycle Thief, hardship seems to follow.
When to use which
SOME- : statements, offers & requests
- Positive statements: Michelangelo Antonioni added something new to L’Eclisse’s visual style.
- Offers phrased as questions: Would you like something to drink during Naked Lunch’s runtime?
- Polite requests: Could someone explain the ending of Blow-Up to me?
ANY- : questions & negatives
- Real information questions: Is there anywhere in London still showing Umberto D. on 35mm?
- Negative sentences: Robert Bresson didn’t direct anything conventional after Pickpocket.
- “It doesn’t matter which”: You can put on any Roberto Rossellini film and recognise his neorealist style instantly.
Words that trigger each family
Certain nearby words push you straight to any- or keep you with some-.
Any- triggers
Some- triggers
Visual guide
Teacher Teddy’s illustrated guide to this rule is being drawn — the full swipe-through infographic will appear here soon.
Common mistakes
❌ Do you have some questions about Naked Lunch’s ending?
✅ Do you have any questions about Naked Lunch’s ending?
A plain, neutral question almost always takes any-, not some-.
❌ I didn’t see nobody at the drive-in screening of Grease.
✅ I didn’t see anybody at the drive-in screening of Grease.
“Didn’t” already makes the sentence negative — English never stacks a second negative word on top.
❌ There isn’t anywhere place showing Ossessione in IMAX near me.
✅ There isn’t anywhere showing Ossessione in IMAX near me.
Indefinite pronouns are complete words on their own — don’t add an extra noun like “place” after them.
Exceptions & tricky cases
1. Some- survives inside questions that are really offers. Would you like something to eat before we start Mirror? is a question, but because it offers rather than asks for information, it keeps some-.
2. Any- appears in positive statements too — meaning “it doesn’t matter which”. You can pick any Vittorio De Sica film and still fall in love with the human drama. Here any doesn’t mean “none exists” — it means “whichever you choose”.
3. No one / no-one / nobody. No one and nobody mean exactly the same thing; British English sometimes hyphenates it as no-one. No one saw Shoeshine’s ending coming in 1946.
4. Every- takes a singular verb, even though it feels plural. Everybody in the Swades fandom loves the soundtrack — “loves”, not “love” — although speakers often follow up informally with “they”: Everybody loves it, don’t they?
Practice: pick the right pronoun
Eight quick questions. Pick the answer you’d actually say — you get the explanation either way.
1. I haven’t seen ___ as strange as Mirror.
Negative sentence (“haven’t”) → any- family.
2. Could ___ tell me what happens at the end of Blow-Up?
A polite request phrased as a question still uses some-.
3. ___ predicted Shoeshine would win an Academy Award.
No- forms carry their own negative meaning — no extra “not” needed.
4. Is there ___ in this cinema who hasn’t watched Nights of Cabiria?
A genuine question, no clear answer expected → any-.
5. ___ about L’Eclisse’s cinematography impressed the critics.
Talking about every aspect, no exceptions → every-.
6. We didn’t go ___ special to watch the Ossessione premiere — just our local cinema.
Negative sentence → any-.
7. You can rewatch ___ Federico Fellini film and still spot new details.
Positive sentence, but meaning “it doesn’t matter which” → any- can leave questions and negatives.
8. There was ___ left to say after the ending of Ossessione stunned the whole cinema.
Negative meaning without an extra “not” → no-.
Keep going
Related lessons in Pronouns:
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