Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronoun is a kind of pronoun that refers to general things. The word indefinite implies something undefined and vague. That’s why; it is called indefinite pronoun. It is used to refer to objects in a general way and is not used to refer to specific and particular things. Some of the indefinite pronouns are given below:
One: One means a person. Anyone can be a person.
- One hardly feels the pangs of others.
- One should never shirk one’s
None: None means no one.
- None of his poems is interesting.
- None of them is intelligent.
All: All means people, persons or objects in whole.
- All escaped narrowly.
- All were present in the class.
Some: Some means a certain amount of something.
- Some are born great.
- Some of them were really fools.
Few: It means not many people, things or places.
- Few can accept the offer of the boss.
- Few of them were aware of her death.
Everyone: It means all people or every person.
- Everyone wanted to visit London.
- Everyone was happy with him.
Somebody: Somebody means some persons or people.
- Somebody must attend the party on my behalf.
- Somebody gave me a cup of tea.
Anybody or Anyone: It means any person.
- Anybody can inspect our factory.
- Anybody can visit the office of the Prime Minister.
Nobody: Nobody means no one.
- Nobody can face him.
- Nobody was at the office of the Executive Magistrate.
They: It means people in general.
- They say that the meeting has been postponed.
- They say some of the politicians have decided to take sides with the government.
P.S: It should be kept in mind that the above-mentioned words are used only with verbs. That’s why; they are indefinite pronouns. In case they are used with nouns, they function as indefinite adjectives. For example, in the following sentences, the italic words are indefinite adjectives, while the underlined words are nouns:
- Many boys protested against the new rules.
- Some books should be read with keen interest.
- Few people know how to operate the fax machine.
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