Something, anyone, nowhere Practice Tests with A2 Grammar Rules & Examples

Something, Anyone, Nowhere – Indefinite Pronouns

In English, we use special words to talk about people, places, and things without saying exactly who or what they are. Words like something, anyone, and nowhere are called indefinite pronouns. "Indefinite" means we are not being specific – we do not know exactly, or it does not matter.

Here is a simple example:

"I heard something strange last night."
"Is anyone home?"
"There is nowhere to sit."

In this lesson, you will learn how to use something, anyone, nowhere and all the words in this group correctly.

The Three Groups: Some–, Any–, No–

These words are built from three parts: some-, any-, and no-. Each part combines with -thing (for objects), -one / -body (for people), and -where (for places).

Group	For things	For people	For people (informal)	For places
some-	something	someone	somebody	somewhere
any-	anything	anyone	anybody	anywhere
no-	nothing	no one	nobody	nowhere

Note: Someone and somebody mean the same thing. Anyone and anybody mean the same thing. You can use either one.

Using Some– Words (Something, Someone, Somewhere)

We use some– words in positive sentences (sentences that are not negative and not a question). We use them when we believe something, someone, or a place exists, but we do not say exactly what or who it is.

Something

Something = a thing we do not name exactly.

"I can smell something nice." (a thing – we do not say exactly what)
"There is something in my bag."
"She wants to eat something."

Someone / Somebody

Someone / Somebody = a person we do not name exactly.

"Someone is at the door."
"I think somebody called your name."
"She is talking to someone."

Somewhere

Somewhere = a place we do not name exactly.

"I left my keys somewhere in the house."
"Let's go somewhere quiet."
"He lives somewhere near the city."

Using Any– Words (Anything, Anyone, Anywhere)

We use any– words in negative sentences and in questions.

Anything

Anything = used in questions and negative sentences about things.

"Did you eat anything today?" (question)
"I did not eat anything." (negative)
"Is there anything I can do?" (question)

Anyone / Anybody

Anyone / Anybody = used in questions and negative sentences about people.

"Does anyone know the answer?" (question)
"I don't know anybody here." (negative)
"Can anyone help me?" (question)

Anywhere

Anywhere = used in questions and negative sentences about places.

"Did you go anywhere yesterday?" (question)
"We didn't go anywhere." (negative)
"Is there a café anywhere near here?" (question)

Using No– Words (Nothing, No One, Nowhere)

We use no– words to make a sentence negative in meaning. Be careful! When you use a no– word, the verb must be positive. This is because the no– word already makes the sentence negative.

Nothing

Nothing = not any thing / zero things.

"There is nothing in the fridge." (= The fridge is empty.)
"I know nothing about this."
"Nothing happened."

No One / Nobody

No one / Nobody = not any person / zero people.

"No one is home."
"Nobody called."
"I saw nobody at the park."

Nowhere

Nowhere = not any place / zero places.

"There is nowhere to park."
"She had nowhere to go."
"The cat is nowhere to be found."

Patterns at a Glance

Sentence type	Things	People	Places
Positive (+)	something	someone / somebody	somewhere
Question (?)	anything	anyone / anybody	anywhere
Negative (–)	anything / nothing	anyone / no one	anywhere / nowhere

Remember: In negative sentences, you can use any– with not, or you can use no– without not. Both are correct, but you cannot use both at the same time.

"I don't know anything." ✅
"I know nothing." ✅
"I don't know nothing." ❌ (double negative – incorrect in standard English)

Special Use: Some– Words in Questions

Normally, we use any– in questions. But sometimes we use some– in questions too. This happens when:

• We offer something to someone.
• We ask for something and we hope the answer is yes.

"Would you like something to drink?" (an offer – we expect "yes")
"Can someone help me, please?" (we hope someone will say yes)
"Is there somewhere I can sit?" (we hope there is a place)

Compare these two questions:

"Did you go anywhere at the weekend?" (general question – we do not know the answer)
"Would you like to go somewhere nice for dinner?" (suggestion – we hope the answer is yes)

Grammar Rule: Singular Verb

All of these indefinite pronouns – something, anyone, nobody, nowhere – are treated as singular. "Singular" means we use the same form of the verb as we use with he, she, or it.

"Someone is waiting outside." (not "are")
"Nobody knows the answer." (not "know")
"Everything looks good." (not "look")

Important Differences and Special Cases

Nothing vs. Not Anything

These two sentences have the same meaning:

"I have nothing to say."
"I don't have anything to say."

However, nothing is often stronger and more direct. Not anything is more common in spoken, everyday English.

No One vs. Nobody

No one and nobody mean exactly the same thing. The only difference is spelling: no one is two words, and nobody is one word.

"No one came to the party." = "Nobody came to the party."

Somewhere vs. Anywhere in Positive Sentences

In positive sentences, somewhere suggests a specific (but unknown) place. Anywhere in a positive sentence means "in every place" or "it does not matter where".

"I want to go somewhere warm." (a specific type of place – I have an idea in mind)
"You can sit anywhere you like." (it does not matter which place – all places are fine)

Common Mistakes

❌ Someone don't know the answer.
✅ No one knows the answer. / Someone doesn't know the answer.

❌ I don't know nothing about it.
✅ I don't know anything about it. / I know nothing about it.

❌ There is somewhere I can find it?
✅ Is there anywhere I can find it?

❌ Nobody are here.
✅ Nobody is here. (use singular verb with no–, any–, some– pronouns)

❌ I heard anything outside.
✅ I heard something outside. (use some– in positive sentences)

❌ Can somebody don't help me?
✅ Can't anyone help me? / Can someone help me?

Something, Anyone, Nowhere: Quick Summary

• Use some– words (something, someone, somewhere) in positive sentences and in questions that are offers or requests.
• Use any– words (anything, anyone, anywhere) in questions and negative sentences (with not).
• Use no– words (nothing, no one, nowhere) in sentences that are negative in meaning – but the verb stays positive.
• Someone = somebody, anyone = anybody, no one = nobody.
• All these pronouns use a singular verb (like he/she/it).
• Never use a no– word and not together – this is a double negative.

Now practise something, anyone, nowhere and all the indefinite pronouns in the exercises below.