We use indefinite pronouns to refer to unspecified or unidentified nouns (persons, places, things, or ideas).
But before we dive deeper into indefinite pronouns, we should take a quick look at pronouns
in general so we know which part of English grammar we’re dealing with.
Pronouns are substitutes for nouns. We use them where a noun has already been named
or is understood from the context of the writing. Pronouns make our writing more concise.
Take a look at any social media platform, and you’ll see the phrase my pronouns in
She and they replace the name of a person once that name has been used.
We use indefinite pronouns to refer to an unspecified or unidentified person, place, thing, or idea.
Because indefinite pronouns don’t replace specific nouns, they don’t have an antecedent.
They are much more general than the other types of pronouns.
The indefinite pronouns we use for people end in one or body.
The indefinite pronouns we use for places end in where.
The indefinite pronouns we use for things end in thing.
Here are some examples of indefinite pronouns for people:
| somebody | everybody | anybody | nobody |
| someone | everyone | anyone | no one |
Somebody told a joke.
Everybody laughed at it.
Anybody could have told it.
Nobody could stop laughing at it.
Someone asked me to dance, and everyone admired our salsa.
Anyone can try to dance the salsa, but no one can dance it as well as we can.
There is no difference between the body and one endings, so which one we use doesn’t matter.