What are indefinite pronouns?
The antecedent is the original noun that the pronoun replaces. However, indefinite pronouns have no clear antecedent. That is, indefinite pronouns do not take the place of specific people, places, things, or ideas. An indefinite pronoun can be found in any place that a noun can be used in a sentence (That is, it can be a subject, direct object, indirect object, object of a preposition, etc.)
There are singular and plural indefinite pronouns. Here are some common singular indefinite pronouns:
any, anyone, anybody, somebody, someone, each, either, neither, everyone, everybody, one, none, everything, anything, something
Words such as "everyone" and "everybody" are singular pronouns, even though they seem to refer to a group. These compound words were at one time separated into "every one" and "every body." Since "one" and "body" are obviously singular, the compounds made from these words are singular.
Here are some common plural indefinite pronouns:
both, few, many, several
Some indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural depending on the sentence. Thes are as follows:
some, any, all, none, most
Subject-verb agreement with indefinite pronouns
It is important to know if the indefinite pronoun is singular or plural, so that you can make sure that the verb used with the pronoun agrees with the pronoun. It is sometimes necessary to make other words in the sentence agree with the pronoun, too.
Examples
1. Everyone is going to the science room to take the test.
"Everyone" is singular, so the subject and verb agree.
2. Everybody must bring his or her own pencil.
The singular subject must agree with singular pronominal adjectives which refer to the subject. It is incorrect to say "Everyone must bring their own pencil." You can check yourself on this by asking yourself which word would go with "one."
Modifiers with indefinite pronouns
Indefinite pronouns are frequently modified by adjectival prepositional phrases.
Examples
many of us
a few of them
plenty of time
Since many indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural, you can look at the adjectival phrase that modifies the pronoun to determine its number.
Examples
1. Some of his skin is sunburned.
"Some" is singular because "skin" is singular.
2. Some of us are going to get ice.
"Some" is plural because "us" is plural.
Some indefinite pronouns can also be used as adjectives when they modify the noun that follows them in the sentence.
Compare:
1. Some students study grammar.
"Some" is an adjective modifying "students."
2. Some will find it enjoyable.
"Some," in this sentence, is an indefinite pronoun serving as the subject of the sentence.