Everyone has it, but

no one can lose it:

indefinite pronouns

ESL Brains
Let’s get started
with a warm-up

ESL Brains
Try to solve the riddles below in pairs.

A. You walk into a room carrying something. Glass breaks,

riddle:
everybody screams and something dies. What happened?
a confusing question
B. What can you find here, there and everywhere? with a clever or funny
answer
C. What flies around all day but doesn’t go anywhere?

D. Somebody’s mother has four sons. North, South and East.

What is the name of the fourth son.

E. Everyone has it, but no one can lose it.

F. It doesn’t belong to everyone, it belongs to you. But

everybody uses it and it doesn’t worry you.

G. It has hands and a face, but it can’t hold anything or smile.

ESL Brains 3
Let’s check the answers.

A. You walk into a room carrying something. Glass breaks, You dropped a fishbowl.
everybody screams and something dies. What happened?

B. What can you find here, there and everywhere? the word ‘here’
C. What flies around all day but doesn’t go anywhere? a flag
D. Somebody’s mother has four sons. North, South and East. What (There is no question mark
What is the name of the fourth son. at the end of the last sentence.)

E. Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. a shadow

F. It doesn’t belong to everyone, it belongs to you. But your name
everybody uses it and it doesn’t worry you.

G. It has hands and a face, but it can’t hold anything or smile. a clock

Which of the riddles is the cleverest?

ESL Brains 4
It’s grammar time!

ESL Brains
Look at the riddles again and underline the indefinite pronouns (beginning with
no-, some-, any- and every-).

A. You walk into a room carrying something. Glass breaks, everybody screams
and something dies. What happened?

B. What can you find here, there and everywhere?

C. What flies around all day but doesn’t go anywhere?

D. Somebody’s mother has four sons. North, South and East. What is the name
of the fourth son.

E. Everyone has it, but no one can lose it.

F. It doesn’t belong to everyone, it belongs to you. But everybody uses it and it

doesn’t worry you.

G. It has hands and a face, but it can’t hold anything or smile.

ESL Brains 6
Let’s check the answers.

A. You walk into a room carrying something. Glass breaks, everybody screams
and something dies. What happened?

B. What can you find here, there and everywhere?

C. What flies around all day but doesn’t go anywhere?

D. Somebody’s mother has four sons. North, South and East. What is the name
of the fourth son.

E. Everyone has it, but no one can lose it.

F. It doesn’t belong to everyone, it belongs to you. But everybody uses it and it

doesn’t worry you.

G. It has hands and a face, but it can’t hold anything or smile.

ESL Brains 7
part 1/2

Look at the riddles again and tick which type or types of sentences the pronouns
beginning with no-, some-, any- and every- are used in.

● You walk into a room carrying something. Glass breaks, everybody screams and
something dies. What happened?

● What can you find here, there and everywhere?

● What flies around all day but doesn’t go anywhere?

Affirmative Negative Question

NO-

SOME-

ANY-

EVERY-

ESL Brains 8
part 1/2

Let’s check the answers.

● You walk into a room carrying something. Glass breaks, everybody screams and
something dies. What happened?

● What can you find here, there and everywhere?

● What flies around all day but doesn’t go anywhere?

Affirmative Negative Question

NO-

SOME-

ANY-

EVERY-

ESL Brains 9
part 2/2

Look at the riddles again and tick which type or types of sentences the pronouns
beginning with no-, some-, any- and every- are used in.
● Somebody’s mother has four sons. North, South and East. What is the name of the fourth son.

● Everyone has it, but no one can lose it.

● It doesn’t belong to everyone, it belongs to you. But everybody uses it and it doesn’t worry you.

● It has hands and a face, but it can’t hold anything or smile.

Affirmative Negative Question

NO-

SOME-

ANY-

EVERY-

ESL Brains 10
part 2/2

Let’s check the answers.

● Somebody’s mother has four sons. North, South and East. What is the name of the fourth son.

● Everyone has it, but no one can lose it.

● It doesn’t belong to everyone, it belongs to you. But everybody uses it and it doesn’t worry you.

● It has hands and a face, but it can’t hold anything or smile.

Affirmative Negative Question

NO-

SOME-

ANY-

EVERY-

ESL Brains 11
Now, look at the riddles again and complete the rules.

A. The eight indefinite pronouns used to talk about

people are:

B. The four indefinite pronouns used to talk about

places are:

C. The four indefinite pronouns used to talk about

things are:

D. All the indefinite pronouns are grammatically

third person singular/plural.

E. Some can be used in questions, e.g. Would you

like something to eat? or Could I have something
to drink? which are polite/impolite offers or
requests.

ESL Brains 12
Let’s check the answers.

A. The eight indefinite pronouns used to talk about nobody, no one, somebody, someone,
people are: anybody, anyone, everybody, everyone

B. The four indefinite pronouns used to talk about nowhere, somewhere, anywhere,
places are: everywhere
C. The four indefinite pronouns used to talk about nothing, something, anything, everything
things are:

D. All the indefinite pronouns are grammatically

third person singular/plural.

E. Some can be used in questions, e.g. Would you

like something to eat? or Could I have something
to drink? which are polite/impolite offers or
requests.

ESL Brains 13
Now, we’ll put it into practice!

ESL Brains
Correct the mistake in each sentence.

A. Do anybody know the answer?

B. I rang the doorbell but anybody answered.

C. Where are everybody going?

D. Did you hear something I’ve just said?

E. There is anywhere in the world I’d rather be.

F. Everybody were angry with me.

G. I haven’t got nothing to say.

H. Could we go anywhere sunny?

I. It’s not for anybody.

ESL Brains 15
part 1/2

Let’s check the answers.

A. Do anybody know the answer?

Does anybody know the answer?

A. I rang the doorbell but anybody answered.

I rang the doorbell but nobody answered.

A. Where are everybody going?

Where is everybody going?

A. Did you hear something I’ve just said?

Did you hear anything I’ve just said?

A. There is anywhere in the world I’d rather be.

There is nowhere in the world I’d rather be.

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part 2/2

Let’s check the answers.

F. Everybody were angry with me.

Everybody was angry with me.

F. I haven’t got nothing to say.

I haven’t got anything to say.

F. Could we go anywhere sunny?

Could we go somewhere sunny?

F. It’s not for anybody.

It’s not for everybody.

ESL Brains 17
Look at the sentences again and decide who said them and in what situations.
Be creative.
EXAMPLE Does anybody know the answer?
Students were checking their answers to an exercise on indefinite pronouns with
their teacher. One example was really difficult so nobody said anything and the
teacher asked this question hoping that somebody would say something.
Unfortunately, nobody answered.

A. Does anybody know the answer? E. There is nowhere in the world I’d rather be.

B. I rang the doorbell but nobody F. Everybody was angry with me.
answered. G. I haven’t got anything to say.
C. Where is everybody going? H. Could we go somewhere sunny?
D. Did you hear anything I’ve just said? I. It’s not for everybody.

ESL Brains 18
Complete the description of the picture with indefinite pronouns.

The woman looks sad. Maybe she fought

with __________________ or she wanted
to have a party and _________________
came. Perhaps she failed an exam because
she didn’t know _________________ , or a
family member fell ill and there is
_________________ she can do. Maybe
she needs help but she can’t find
_________________ to help her, or she did
_________________ silly and is
embarrassed now.

ESL Brains 19
Let’s check the answers.

The woman looks sad. Maybe she fought

somebody/someone or she wanted
with __________________
to have a party and _________________
nobody/no one
came. Perhaps she failed an exam because
anything
she didn’t know _________________ , or a
family member fell ill and there is
_________________
nothing she can do. Maybe
she needs help but she can’t find
anybody/anyone to help her, or she did
_________________
something
_________________ silly and is
embarrassed now.

ESL Brains 20
Complete the description of the picture with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

The people ____________ (be) probably

somewhere inside, maybe in an office.
Something behind them ____________
(be) blue. Perhaps it’s a wall. Everybody
____________ (talk) and nobody
____________ (look) bored. They
____________ (wear) colourful clothes,
but nobody ____________ (wear) black.
Everyone ____________ (be) pretty tall
and everything they are holding
____________ (be) necessary for their
work.

ESL Brains 21
Let’s check the answers.

are
The people ____________ (be) probably
somewhere inside, maybe in an office.
Something behind them ____________is
(be) blue. Perhaps it’s a wall. Everybody
is talking (talk) and nobody
____________
____________
looks (look) bored. They
are wearing (wear) colourful clothes,
____________
is wearing (wear) black.
but nobody ____________
is
Everyone ____________ (be) pretty tall
and everything they are holding
____________
is (be) necessary for their
work.

ESL Brains 22
part 1/3

In pairs, describe the pictures below using as many of the indefinite pronouns in
the box as possible.

anybody nobody

anyone no one

anything nothing

anywhere nowhere

everybody somebody

everyone someone

everything something

everywhere somewhere

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part 2/3

In pairs, describe the pictures below using as many of the indefinite pronouns in
the box as possible.

anybody nobody

anyone no one

anything nothing

anywhere nowhere

everybody somebody

everyone someone

everything something

everywhere somewhere

ESL Brains 24
part 3/3

In pairs, describe the pictures below using as many of the indefinite pronouns in
the box as possible.

anybody nobody

anyone no one

anything nothing

anywhere nowhere

everybody somebody

everyone someone

everything something

everywhere somewhere

ESL Brains 25
Finish the sentences below so that they are true for you.

A. Nobody in my family gets up…

B. I don’t know anybody who speaks…

C. Today, I have eaten something…

D. Everybody in my family likes watching…

E. I know somebody who went…

F. Nothing on my desk is…

G. This week, I haven’t been anywhere…

ESL Brains 26
Think what questions with indefinite pronouns you could ask a partner, to see if
the sentences are also true for them. Then, ask your partner the questions you
have prepared and answer theirs. Do you have a lot in common?

EXAMPLE Nobody in my family gets up at six a.m.

Does anybody in your family get up at 6 a.m.?

A. Nobody in my family gets up… E. I know somebody who went…

B. I don’t know anybody who speaks… F. Nothing on my desk is…

C. Today, I have eaten something… G. This week, I haven’t been

anywhere…
D. Everybody in my family likes watching…

ESL Brains 27
It’s time for a role play!

ESL Brains
Work with a partner. Have a conversation using the indefinite pronouns on
your role play card.

ROLE PLAY 1 ROLE PLAY 2

Student A Student B Student A Student B

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THANKS!

ESL Brains