Indefinite Pronouns lc 2 Students should be able to identify and correctly use indefinite pronouns What is an indefinite pronoun?

Indefinite Pronouns

• LC 1.2 Students should be able to identify and correctly use indefinite pronouns

What is an indefinite pronoun?

• They are words that replace nouns without specifying which noun they replace (remember- a noun is a person, place, or thing)
• Ex: another, everybody, everyone, everything, each, either, somebody, someone, something, both, few, many, all, most, none

Indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural

• Singular: another, everybody, everyone, everything, each, either, somebody, someone, something
• Plural: both, few, many, others, several
• Singular or plural: all, any, more, most, some

Singular Indefinite Pronouns

• Singular indefinite pronouns take singular verbs or singular personal pronouns.
• 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 Indefinite Pronouns

• Plural indefinite pronouns take plural verbs or plural personal pronouns.
• Correct: A few of the justices were voicing their opposition.
• (Few is plural, so are were and their.)
• Incorrect: Both of the men was going to work.
• (Both is plural, but was is not.)

Singular or plural indefinite pronouns

• For indefinite pronouns that can be singular or plural, it depends on what the indefinite pronoun refers to.
• Correct: All of the people clapped their hands.
• (All refers to people, which is plural.)
• Correct: All of the newspaper was soaked.
• (Here all refers to newspaper, which is singular.)

Can you find the indefinite pronoun(s) in the sentence?

• I wanted to see them all.
• All
• She wanted to go to the movies to see someone.
• Someone
• Something woke me up.
• Something

Can you identify if these indefinite pronouns are singular or plural?

• There is something outside.
• Something= singular
• All of my friends are at the movies.
• All refers to friends, which is plural)
• Both of the roads are closed.
• Both= plural
• Can we see some of the movie?
• Some refers to movie which is singular

Is the indefinite pronoun used correctly?

• All of the people was watching the show.
• No
• I see someone in the house.
• Yes
• Most of the movie is over.
• Yes
• Is most of the people outside?
• No
• Both of the kids is riding bikes.
• no

Remember

• Indefinite pronouns are words that replace nouns, but are not specific
• They can be singular or plural, depending on what they are referring to (singular- one noun; plural- more then one noun)
• Indefinite pronouns and their verbs must agree (plural indefinite pronoun= plural verb and singular indefinite pronoun = singular verb)