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Elementary - Somebody, anybody, nobody

Monday, 08 June 2009
There is somebody in the garden There is somebody in the garden Background image created by V.ivash - Freepik.com

English grammar lesson on-line for elementary level students - An explanation of indefinite quantities (somebody, anybody, nobody) with printable exercises.

There isn't any difference between somebody and someone, anybody and anyone, nobody and no-one.


1) Not + anybody / anyone, nobody / no-one are used for people in negative and interrogative sentences.

  • There isn't anybody/anyone in the room.
  • There is nobody/no-one in the room.

Not + anything, nothing are used for things.

  • There isn't anything in the bag.
  • There is nothing in the bag.

We can use nobody / no-one / nothing at the beginning of a sentence or alone only to answer a question.

  • The house is empty. Nobody lives there.
  • What did you say? Nothing.
  • Who did you speak to? No-one.

The difference between somebody and anybody, something and anything, somewhere and anywhere, etc are the same as the difference between some and any.


2) Somebody / someone are used for indefinite quantity in the affirmative sentences.

  • There is somebody/someone in the garden.
  • There is somebody/someone at the door.

Somewhere, anywhere, nowhere are used for place.

  • They live somewhere in the north of Ireland.
  • Did you go anywhere interesting for your holiday?
  • I don't like this town. There is nowhere to go.
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Last modified on Saturday, 01 December 2018 13:53

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