Somebody/anything/nowhere, etc.

Indefinite pronouns like somebody, anyone, nothing, and nowhere refer to people, things, or places in a general or unknown way. They help you talk about someone or something when you don't specify exactly who or what.

• Use -one / -body for people (someone, somebody, anyone, nobody).
• Use -thing for objects or ideas (something, anything, nothing).
• Use -where for places (somewhere, anywhere, nowhere).
• Choose some- in affirmative offers/requests, any- in questions and negatives, and no- in negative statements that mean 'not one' or 'not anywhere'.

Choose the correct prefix based on sentence type:

• Use some- in positive statements and offers/requests: "I have something." / "Could I have some coffee?"
• Use any- in questions and many negatives: "Do you have anything?" / "I don't have any updates."
• Use no- (no one, nowhere, nothing) for strong negatives that mean 'not one' or 'not at all': "No one replied."

All these pronouns are singular and usually take singular verbs (e.g., "Someone is coming").

Watch out for universal pitfalls learners often make:

• Using any- in a positive offer instead of some-: say "Would you like some coffee?", not "Would you like any coffee?"
• Using plural verb forms with singular indefinite pronouns: say "Someone is coming", not "Someone are coming".
• Confusing no one and not anyone: "No one replied" (strong negative) vs "Not anyone replied" (incorrect word order).
• Using nowhere in positive contexts: "I found it nowhere" is unnatural — use a negative construction: "I found it nowhere" is better rephrased as "I couldn't find it anywhere".

Focus on correct prefix (some/any/no), singular verb agreement, and natural word order.