Indefinite Pronouns
Treat agreement by the actual pronoun, not by a blanket “all indefinite pronouns are singular” rule. Forms such as “everyone” are singular for verb agreement, while other indefinite pronouns can be plural or vary with meaning; register also affects choices such as “somebody” versus “someone.”
Indefinite pronouns refer to people, things, amounts, or places without naming a specific one: “someone,” “anybody,” “nothing,” “everyone,” and related forms. Many -one/-body/-thing pronouns take singular verb agreement, but indefinite pronouns do not all behave identically.
Key details
Further guidance
Agreement
Use singular agreement with common forms such as “everyone” and “nothing.” Check other indefinite pronouns individually because forms such as “many” and “several” pattern differently.
Recognize
Look for forms that refer without identifying a particular person or thing, such as “someone,” “anything,” “everybody,” or “nowhere.”
Reference
Choose a following pronoun that keeps the reference clear. Singular “they” is widely used after indefinite antecedents when gender is unknown or irrelevant.
Worked Example
“Everyone is ready, and they have their tickets” uses singular verb agreement with “everyone” and singular “they” for later reference.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Pronouns: indefinite (-body, -one, -thing, -where) (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Explains common indefinite-pronoun forms, reference and usual singular agreement, with register distinctions among forms.
- Pronouns (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Places personal pronouns within the broader pronoun system and distinguishes them from possessive, reflexive, demonstrative and indefinite pronouns.