Exercise 1 — Gap Fill Select
I can hear in the hallway, but I cannot see who it is.
Sorry, I can't help you with your laptop. I don't know about computers.
There is in my wallet now because I spent all my cash.
A: Are you hungry? B: Yes. I want to eat before the train leaves.
in our street knows Mrs Lopez. She has lived here for fifty years.
There is to go dancing at night here, so young people drive to the city.
Excuse me, could help me with my suitcase? It's very heavy.
This is a secret, Kenji, so don't tell , OK?
After the storm, there was water : on the stairs, in the lobby, and even in the elevator.
in my family speaks French, so we need an interpreter in Paris.
The phone rings, but you don't recognise the number: Someone is calling me. You open the fridge: There's nothing to eat. A friend asks about your weekend: I didn't do anything special. You look around a crowded square: Everyone is taking photos. All four sentences use indefinite pronouns: short words you use when you don't know, don't need to say, or want to talk about a person, thing, or place in general terms.
Indefinite pronouns are built from two parts: some, any, no, or every on the front, and -one / -body, -thing, or -where on the back. Once you learn the pattern, you can build all twelve forms automatically.
The full pattern
| People | Things | Places | |
|---|---|---|---|
| some- | someone / somebody | something | somewhere |
| any- | anyone / anybody | anything | anywhere |
| no- | no one / nobody | nothing | nowhere |
| every- | everyone / everybody | everything | everywhere |
For people, -one and -body mean exactly the same thing. Someone = somebody, anyone = anybody. Choose whichever sounds natural. -body is slightly more informal but both are used everywhere.
Everyone is here. (not are)
Something smells good. (not smell)
One small refinement: although the verb is singular, the pronoun that follows is usually they / their / them in modern English, because you don't know if the person is male or female.
- Everyone has their own opinion.
- Has anyone left their bag in the room?
- If someone calls, tell them I'm out.
Some- words: positive sentences
Use some- words in positive sentences when you talk about a person, thing, or place but don't say exactly which one, either because you don't know, or because it doesn't matter.
- Someone left a bag in the classroom.
- I need to tell you something important.
- Let's go somewhere warm for our holiday.
- Somebody is knocking at the door.
- There's something in my shoe.
Some- in questions: offers and requests
Although some- is normally for positive sentences, you use it in questions when you make an offer or a request: when you expect or hope the answer will be yes.
- Would you like something to drink? (offer)
- Can someone help me with this box? (request)
- Could I have something to eat, please?
The same logic applies to ordinary questions when the speaker already thinks the answer is "yes". Compare: Did someone call you? (the speaker thinks yes; maybe they heard the phone) vs Did anyone call you? (neutral, no idea either way).
Any- words: questions and negatives
Use any- words in questions (when you don't know the answer) and in negative sentences.
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Question | Is anyone at home? |
| Question | Did you buy anything at the market? |
| Negative | I don't know anyone here. |
| Negative | There isn't anything in the fridge. |
| Negative | We can't go anywhere tonight. |
Any- meaning "it doesn't matter which"
Any- words also work in positive sentences with the meaning "it doesn't matter which one". This use is common at A2 and very useful.
- You can sit anywhere you like.
- Anyone can learn English with practice.
- I'll eat anything; I'm so hungry.
No- words: negative meaning, positive form
Use no- words to make a sentence negative, but the verb itself stays positive. This is the trickiest part of the topic for many learners.
There is nothing in the box. (positive verb + nothing)
There isn't anything in the box. (negative verb + anything)
Both sentences mean the same thing. Choose one structure or the other; don't combine them.
- Nobody called me yesterday.
- I have nothing to wear tonight.
- There's nowhere to park around here.
- No one knows the answer.
No- words tend to sound a bit stronger or more emphatic than not... any-. Both are correct.
There's also a small positional pattern: no- words appear most naturally at the start of a sentence or right after be, while not... any- is more common in the middle of a sentence. Compare:
- Nobody answered the phone. (start of sentence; no- is natural)
- I didn't see anybody at the meeting. (middle of sentence; not... any- is natural)
Every- words: all, without exception
Use every- words to talk about all the people, all the things, or every place: no exceptions.
- Everyone in my family loves pizza.
- She told me everything about the trip.
- I looked everywhere for my keys.
- Everybody was happy at the party.
Remember: even though everyone feels like "many people", the verb is singular.
- Everyone is ready.
- Everything was perfect.
Adjectives after indefinite pronouns
When you add an adjective, it comes after the pronoun, not before. This is the opposite of normal English word order.
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| an important something | something important |
| a new someone | someone new |
| a cheap somewhere | somewhere cheap |
- I'm looking for something cheap for dinner.
- Let's go somewhere quiet to talk.
- I met someone interesting at the conference.
- There's nothing new on the menu.
Signal words for the form choice
If you're not sure whether to use some-, any-, no-, or every-, look at the sentence:
- Positive sentence → some- (or every- for "all")
- Question → any- (or some- if it's an offer or request)
- Negative sentence → any- (with not) or no- (alone)
- "All, without exception" → every-
- "It doesn't matter which" → any-
Every- vs any-: a common confusion
These two can look almost identical in a positive sentence, but they mean different things. Every- talks about all the people, things, or places: no exceptions. Any- in a positive sentence means "it doesn't matter which one, pick any". Compare:
- Everyone can come to the party. (all the people will come, the whole group)
- Anyone can come to the party. (it doesn't matter who; the invitation is open)
- I tried everything on the menu. (I tried every single dish)
- I'll try anything on the menu. (I'm not picky; pick any dish)
Common mistakes
I don't know nobody here.
I don't know anybody here.
I know nobody here.
One negative per sentence. Use don't + anybody OR nobody alone: never both together.
Everyone are happy.
Everyone is happy.
All indefinite pronouns are singular. Use is, was, has, does, not are, were, have, do.
I want to eat important something.
I want to eat something important.
The adjective comes after the indefinite pronoun, not before.
Would you like anything to drink? (sounds cold or doubtful)
Would you like something to drink?
For offers and invitations, use some-. Would you like anything? sounds like you don't expect the person to want anything: it's neutral at best, unfriendly at worst.
There is anything in my bag.
There is something in my bag.
There isn't anything in my bag.
Any- needs a question or a negative. In a positive sentence, use some-.
Nothing isn't in the fridge.
Nothing is in the fridge.
There isn't anything in the fridge.
Don't add an extra negative when you've already used nothing. Nothing already makes the sentence negative.
I went nowhere yesterday because I was tired and didn't want to see no one.
I went nowhere yesterday because I was tired and didn't want to see anyone.
The "one negative per clause" rule applies to each part of the sentence separately. Didn't see + no one = two negatives.
Some- vs any- vs no- at a glance
| Sentence type | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | some- | I bought something for you. |
| Negative (with not) | any- | I didn't buy anything. |
| Negative (without not) | no- | I bought nothing. |
| Question (neutral) | any- | Did you buy anything? |
| Question (offer / request) | some- | Would you like something? |
| "It doesn't matter which" | any- | Choose anything from the menu. |
| "All without exception" | every- | Everyone liked the film. |
Quick summary
- Twelve forms: four prefixes (some / any / no / every) × three suffixes (-one/-body, -thing, -where).
- -one and -body mean the same thing for people.
- Singular verb, but plural pronoun: Everyone has their ticket.
- One negative per sentence: nothing is OR isn't anything, never both.
- Adjective goes after: something important, not important something.
- Some- in questions = you expect "yes" (offers, requests, positive guesses).
Related topics
- Some and any: the same logic with countable and uncountable nouns.
- Quantifiers: much, many, a lot, a few for amounts.
- Personal pronouns: I, you, he, she and the basics of pronoun use.
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