By Rodney Johnson Jeffrey Maignan Parnel Romage Indefinite Pronouns By Rodney Johnson Jeffrey Maignan Parnel Romage Indefinite pronouns are words which replace nouns without specifying which noun they replace.

Introduction Indefinite pronouns—words like anybody, anything, somebody, something, everybody, everything, neither, none, each, either—refer to unspecified people or things. Although they can seem to refer to more than one person or thing, most take singular pronouns. The indefinite pronouns both, few, many, others, and several are always plural. A few, however, can be used with either singular or plural pronouns. Here's how to determine which pronoun, singular or plural.

Singular Examples Another – Thank you sir, may I have another? Each – From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. Either – Either will do. Enough – Enough is enough. Less – Less is known about this period of history. Little – Little matters any more. Much – Much was discussed at the meeting. Neither – In the end, neither was selected. One – One might see it that way. Other – One was singing while the other played the piano. Plenty – Thanks, that's plenty. Somebody – Somebody has to take care of it. Someone – Someone should fix that. Something – Something makes me want to dance.

Singular pronoun usage Singular indefinite pronouns take singular verbs or singular personal pronouns. Incorrect: Each of the members have one vote. Correct: Each of the members has one vote. (The subject, each, is singular. Use has.) Incorrect: One of the girls gave up their seat. Correct: One of the girls gave up her seat. (Her refers to one, which is singular.)

Plural Examples Both – Both are guilty. Few – Few were chosen. Fewer – Fewer are going to church these days. Many – Many were chosen. Others – Others can worry about that. Several – Several were chosen. They (in informal usage, in the sense of "people in general") They say that smoking is horrible for you.

Plural Pronoun Usage John likes coffee but not tea. I think both are good. I'm sure that others have tried before us. They all complained and several left the meeting. They say that vegetables are good for you. Few have ever disobeyed him and lived.

Singular Or Plural All of the people clapped their hands. (All refers to people, which is plural.) All of the newspaper was soaked. (Here all refers to newspaper, which is singular.) All the sautéed rattlesnake was devoured. (The singular subject all requires the singular verb was.) All the seats were occupied. The plural subject all requires the plural verb were

Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indefinite_pronoun http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000027.htm http://www.infoplease.com/cig/grammar-style/indefinite-pronouns.html http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/pronouns-indefinite.htm C5 handout