Indefinite pronouns refer to people or things that are not specific, not known or not the focus of the sentence.
- “-one”: someone, anyone, everyone, no one
- “-body”: somebody, anybody, everybody, nobody
- “-thing”: something, anything, everything, nothing
Uses:
- “-one” and “-body” – to refer to a person or a group of people
Everyone knows drinking water is good for your health.
Somebody left the door open and the cat disappeared.
- “-thing” – to refer to things (not people)
I found out something about your brother.
Everything I bought is for my sister.
- “some-“, “every-“, “no-” – in affirmative statements
Someone ate all the chips.
Everyone loves cake.
No one drinks juice in my class.
- “any-” – in negative statements
She doesn’t go out with anybody.
I don’t see anything wrong with your laptop.
I don’t think anyone should drink wine.
“Veronica is my best teacher ever! I took her Japanese English interpretation class which contained a variety of topics and situations based on role playing. It helped us a lot to get to an idea about real lie situations and how we could work on interpreting as naturally as possible. It means we did not only learn new terminology but also used the terminology and kept practicing with real documents. She was always helpful and gave us proper advice when we faced any difficulties. That’s why I was always curious to get to learn new things from her. I never forget the words she said, ‘Don’t think in Japanese. Think in English!’ It sounds simple and it was totally correct in any situation, so I try to remember this all the time. Working and interpreting texts with Korean students even though our first languages were different was totally interesting and I enjoyed the class discussions all the time ! Taking her class encouraged me to be an interpreter and want to be like her. I do recommend her classes and want all the students to feel like I do!” – Yuma Hasegawa, Japan, advanced level student
Here’s a list with a few websites that have a lot of resources for teaching ESL:
“Hi, I’m Yoshi. I lived in Toronto 2 years ago with my wife and had a working holiday visa. Veronica was my first teacher when I took my first ESL class. At that time I couldn’t speak or write in English. I just knew the alphabet and the verb to be… She is really kind with all students and she can make you feel comfortable in class. I have a special memory about her. I used to write a diary every day for 6 months while I was taking ESL classes. Veronica read and checked my writing in her free time! And then she returned it by the time I went home so I could write again. She checked my grammar and my spelling. I think it’s so hard to do this. My English improved because of Veronica:)… After I left Toronto, I visited Mexico, Brazil and Spain with my wife and it was easier because of our improved English. I appreciate Veronica :)… Thanks!!” – Yoshiyuki Moriizumi, Japan, advanced level student
