Master indefinite pronouns, including rules for compound forms ending in body and thing, genitive case usage with -s, plural distinctions, and appositive modifiers like else.
What Are Indefinite Pronouns?
Of the pronouns, the forms in body, i.e. somebody, anybody, everybody, nobody, have preserved the old genitive in -s, which they retain alongside of the newer of-form: 'I don't want anybody's help,' or 'the help of anybody.'
The other compound forms have preserved the old s-genitive only when used as the subject of the gerund:
Preparatory Rule: 'I haven't heard of anything's (or anything, an accusative) being wrong.'
How Do Grammatical Relations Apply to Indefinite Pronouns?
Elsewhere we employ the modern means of expressing the grammatical relations: subject before verb and object after it; to-dative or for-dative; of-genitive.
Most of these indefinite pronouns have no plural.
On the other hand, a few-men, people, folks, we, you, they as indefinite pronouns are used only in the plural.
A number of these indefinite pronouns numbers, lots, heaps, etc. have an s-plural, as they were originally nouns. In the case of a lot and lots, a heap and heaps, a world and worlds, there is often no essential difference of meaning between singular and plural, both numbers indicating a large quantity or number. The plural is perhaps more emphatic.
How Do Compound Pronouns Use Else and Genitive Forms?
The compound somebody or other has the old genitive in -s or the newer of-form: 'It is odds that you touch somebody or other's sore place,' or 'the sore place of somebody or other.'
The compound pronouns are often followed by the appositive adverb else, which has the force of a predicate adjective:
- 'Did he want anything else?' (additional).
- 'It couldn't mean anything else' (different).
- 'It wasn't he; it was somebody else' (i.e. distinct from him).
These compound pronouns often enter into a close relation with else here, forming with it a compound indefinite pronoun: 'It can't be anybody else's hat,' instead of older 'any body's else hat.' 'That is my business and nobody else's,' or some times as in older English nobody's else. Older usage usually survives here only when there is no noun following else, as in the last example.
The accusative of a number of these pronouns is used adverbially.
Key Takeaways
- Compound forms in body retain the old genitive in -s alongside the newer of-form.
- Most indefinite pronouns lack a plural form, but units like lots and heaps retain an s-plural.
- The adverb else acts like a predicate adjective when following compound pronouns.
- Modern possessives use the construction anybody else's instead of older alternatives.
Quick Practice
Test your understanding of indefinite pronouns by answering the questions below in the comments section on english-grammarblog.blogspot.com:
- How do compound pronouns in body form the genitive case?
- When is the adverb else used with compound indefinite pronouns?
Frequently Asked Questions
What are indefinite pronouns ending in body?
Forms like somebody, anybody, everybody, and nobody have preserved the old genitive in -s alongside the newer of-form.
Do indefinite pronouns have plural forms?
Most indefinite pronouns have no plural, though words like lots, heaps, and numbers derived from original nouns feature an s-plural.
How does else function with compound pronouns?
Else acts like a predicate adjective following compound pronouns to indicate additional, different, or distinct meanings.