Singular indefinite pronouns refer to one person or thing, while plural indefinite pronouns refer to more than one person or thing. Some examples of singular indefinite pronouns include: anyone, anybody, anything, each, either, neither, one, someone, and something. Some examples of plural indefinite pronouns include: both, few, many, several, and they.
Indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific person or thing, but rather to an unspecified person or thing. They are used when the person or thing being referred to is not known or is not important in the context of the sentence. For example, “Someone left their jacket in the conference room.” In this sentence, “someone” is a singular indefinite pronoun because it refers to one person, and “their” is a plural indefinite pronoun because it refers to more than one person.
FAQ
Here are some common questions about singular and plural indefinite pronouns:
- When do I use “someone” versus “someones”? “Someone” is a singular indefinite pronoun that refers to one person, while “someones” is a plural indefinite pronoun that refers to more than one person. For example: “Someone left their jacket in the conference room.” “Someones left their jackets in the conference room.”
- When do I use “anything” versus “anythings”? “Anything” is a singular indefinite pronoun that refers to one thing, while “anythings” is a plural indefinite pronoun that refers to more than one thing. For example: “I’m not sure if anything is wrong.” “I’m not sure if anythings are wrong.”
- When do I use “either” versus “neither”? “Either” is an indefinite pronoun that is used to refer to one of two people or things. “Neither” is an indefinite pronoun that is used to refer to not one of two people or things. For example: “Either of the two books is fine with me.” “Neither of the two books is what I’m looking for.”
- When do I use “few” versus “a few”? “Few” is a plural indefinite pronoun that means “not many.” “A few” is also a plural indefinite pronoun that means “a small number of.” For example: “Few people came to the party.” “A few people came to the party.”
Sample Test Questions
Here are five sample test questions about singular and plural indefinite pronouns:
- Choose the correct indefinite pronoun to complete the sentence: “_____ of the students raised their hand.”
- a. Either b. Neither c. Each
- Choose the correct indefinite pronoun to complete the sentence: “_____ of the apples are rotten.”
- a. Either b. Neither c. Few
- Choose the correct indefinite pronoun to complete the sentence: “_____ of the cars in the parking lot are mine.”
- a. Both b. Few c. Several
- Choose the correct indefinite pronoun to complete the sentence: “_____ of the dogs in the park are friendly.”
- a. Many b. A few c. Several
- Choose the correct indefinite pronoun to complete the sentence: “_____ of the cookies are missing.”
- a. Few b. Several c. Both
Answer
The correct answers are: c, c, a, b, a.
- In the first sentence, “each” is the correct indefinite pronoun because it refers to one student out of a group.
- In the second sentence, “few” is the correct indefinite pronoun because it refers to a small number of apples.
- In the third sentence, “both” is the correct indefinite pronoun because it refers to two cars.
- In the fourth sentence, “a few” is the correct indefinite pronoun because it refers to a small number of dogs. In the fifth sentence, “few” is the correct indefinite pronoun because it refers to a small number of cookies.
Singular And Plural Indefinite Pronouns Worksheet
PDF Download: Singular And Plural Indefinite Pronouns