Grammar For IELTS: Indefinite Pronouns As Subjects

Indefinite pronouns are essential in English grammar, especially when expressing general ideas about people, places, or things. For IELTS Writing and Speaking, mastering them can significantly improve your accuracy and range. Many learners make mistakes with subject–verb agreement when using indefinite pronouns, so understanding the rules is crucial.

This guide explains the different types of indefinite pronouns, their correct usage, common errors, and practice exercises to help you strengthen your grammar for IELTS success.

What Are Indefinite Pronouns?

An indefinite pronoun refers to a person, place, thing, or idea that is not specific. These pronouns are very common in everyday English and often appear in IELTS Speaking and Writing tasks to emphasize generality.

For example:

• Is anyone coming to the party tomorrow night?
• Something has to be done about the increasing crime rate.
• If you believe in yourself, nothing is impossible.

Notice how these sentences express broad ideas without naming a specific person or thing.

Common Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns often begin with every, some, any, or no and combine with endings like -one, -body, -thing.

Here’s a list of the most common ones:

• People: everyone, someone, anyone, no one, everybody, somebody, anybody, nobody
• Things: everything, something, anything, nothing

These pronouns are especially useful in IELTS Writing when giving general opinions, making broad statements, or emphasizing inclusivity or exclusion.

Subject–Verb Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns

A key IELTS Grammar point: even though indefinite pronouns often refer to more than one person or thing, they take a singular verb when acting as the subject.

Examples:

• Everyone is excited about the event.
• Nobody wants to fail the exam.
• Something has gone wrong with my computer.

This rule is critical because many IELTS candidates incorrectly use plural verbs with these pronouns. Such mistakes lower your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score.

Detailed Examples for IELTS

Let’s look at how indefinite pronouns can be used in IELTS answers:

• IELTS Speaking Part 1:

  • Question: Do you like going to parties?
  • Answer: Yes, I enjoy them because there is always someone interesting to talk to, and everybody seems cheerful.

• IELTS Writing Task 2:

  • Statement: Some people believe that technology has made life easier, while others think it has made life more complicated.
  • Usage: In reality, everything depends on how people use technology in their daily lives.

Notice how indefinite pronouns add variety and emphasis to your answers.

Common Mistakes with Indefinite Pronouns

Many learners misuse indefinite pronouns in three ways:

1. Wrong verb agreement

• • Incorrect: Everybody are happy.
  • Correct: Everybody is happy.

1. Double negatives

• • Incorrect: I don’t need no help.
  • Correct: I don’t need any help. / I need no help.

1. Confusing “anyone” and “someone”

• • Anyone = general (no restriction).
  • Someone = specific but unidentified.
  • Example:
    • Anyone can join the club. (= no restrictions)
    • Someone left their phone here. (= a specific person, but we don’t know who)

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