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Something, anything, nothing: some-, any-, no- and every- words

A2 · 39 exercises

The rule in short

Words like somebody, anything, nowhere and everyone. When to use each beginning, why English needs only one negative word, and which verb form comes after them.

Each word has a beginning (some-, any-, no-, every-) and an ending that says what you are talking about.

a persona thinga place
some-somebody / someonesomethingsomewhere
any-anybody / anyoneanythinganywhere
no-nobody / no onenothingnowhere
every-everybody / everyoneeverythingeverywhere

-body and -one mean exactly the same, and both are correct in speech and in writing. All the words are written as one word except no one, which is two words (many British writers also use no-one).

some- is for a person, thing or place that you do not name. It goes in positive statements, and also in offers and requests, where you expect the answer yes: Can somebody help me, please?

any- goes after a negative verb (I didn't hear anything) and in most questions (Did anyone see Tom today?). In a positive statement it has a different meaning: "it does not matter who, what or where". Anyone can join the club means every person is welcome.

no- means not + any-, so it goes with a positive verb: I heard nothing means the same as I didn't hear anything. Standard English uses only one negative word in a sentence like this. I didn't hear nothing is a double negative; you will hear it in some songs and in very informal speech, but it is not standard English. When the negative idea is the subject, use a no- word and a positive verb: Nobody came, not Anybody didn't come.

every- means all the people, all the things or all the places.

Three more points:

  • The verb is singular. All these words take the verb form of he, she or it, even everybody, which means many people: Everybody is here, Nobody knows, Does anyone have a pen? When you talk about the person again, English usually uses they: Someone forgot their umbrella.
  • An adjective comes after the word, not before it: something nice, nowhere warm, anyone famous.
  • Else means "other" and also comes after: somebody else (another person), everything else, nowhere else.

Examples

  • I can hear something strange in the kitchen.
  • Tom didn't eat anything for breakfast.
  • No one answered the phone, so I sent a text.
  • Everyone in our street knows Anna.
  • We wanted a coffee, but there was nowhere open after ten.
  • You can park anywhere in this street on Sundays.
  • Would you like something else?
  • Let's go somewhere quiet for lunch.
  • I packed everything for the trip last night.
  • Is anybody hungry? I'm making pasta.

Lesson: “Something, anything, nothing: some-, any-, no- and every- words” (A2), Krumeto · https://krumeto.com/grammar/something-anything-nothing · written for Krumeto with the help of AI tools · Worksheet: krumeto.com

KrumetoSomething, anything, nothing: some-, any-, no- and every- wordsName ____________________

Exercises

A. Choose the right word.

I can't see ___. It's too dark. → anything

  1. Tom is in the kitchen. He's cooking ________ for us. (something / anything / nothing)
  2. Anna's keys aren't in her bag or on the table. She can't find them ________. (somewhere / anywhere / nowhere)
  3. Everybody went home at six, so at seven there was ________ in the office. (somebody / anybody / nobody)
  4. No, thanks. I had a big lunch, so I don't need ________ now. (something / anything / nothing)
  5. Listen. ________ is knocking at the door. (Somebody / Anybody / Nobody)
  6. We're going ________ this summer. We're staying at home to save money. (somewhere / anywhere / nowhere)

B. Choose the right verb form.

Everyone ___ tired. → is

  1. Everybody in my family ________ coffee. (like / likes)
  2. Nobody ________ where Anna lives. (know / knows)
  3. Everything in this shop ________ very expensive. (is / are)
  4. ________ anybody here speak Spanish? (Do / Does)
  5. Somebody ________ a key to the back door. (has / have)

C. Complete each sentence with one word. Put some-, any-, no- or every- before the ending in brackets.

I can't hear ___ (-thing). → anything

  1. The film was very boring. ________ (-thing) happened in the first hour.
  2. My wallet is empty. I spent ________ (-thing) at the market.
  3. Tom lost his phone. He looked ________ (-where), but he didn't find it.
  4. This isn't my coat. It belongs to ________ (-body / -one) else.
  5. Tom loves his town. He doesn't want to live ________ (-where) else.
  6. It's a very easy question. ________ (-body / -one) can answer it, even a small child.

D. Rewrite each sentence with the same meaning. Use the word in brackets.

  1. We didn't eat anything on the plane. (nothing)
  2. Anna calls nobody on Sundays. (anybody)
  3. There isn't anywhere to buy food near the station. (nowhere)
  4. Anna has no one to talk to. (anyone)
  5. I haven't got anything to wear for the party. (nothing)

E. Put the words in order. Use all the words.

  1. summer / this / do / Tom / to / wants / something / different
  2. nobody / my / in / eats / family / meat
  3. anything / is / else / need / you / there
  4. on / didn't / holiday / anywhere / go / we / special

F. Correct the mistakes. Change only what is wrong. Two of the sentences are already right: keep them as they are.

  1. Anna didn't tell nobody about the party.
  2. Everybody are waiting for you outside.
  3. I'd like to drink cold something.
  4. Nobody in our class have a car.
  5. Can I ask you something?
  6. Anybody stole my bike last night.
  7. No one wants to go out in this rain.
  8. Noone came to Tom's birthday party.

G. Match the questions and the answers.

    1. Where do you want to sit? ____
    2. What would you like to drink? ____
    3. What did you do at the weekend? ____
    4. Who wants more cake? ____
    5. Did you meet anyone nice at the party? ____
    1. a) Anywhere. I don't mind.
    2. b) No, nobody. I left early.
    3. c) Everybody. It's delicious.
    4. d) Nothing special. I just read and slept.
    5. e) Anything cold, please.
KrumetoSomething, anything, nothing: some-, any-, no- and every- wordsAnswer key

Answer key

A. Some- words go in positive statements. Any- words go after a negative verb. No- words go with a positive verb and mean 'not any'. Use only one negative word.

  1. something
  2. anywhere
  3. nobody
  4. anything
  5. Somebody
  6. nowhere

B. Words with some-, any-, no- and every- take a singular verb, like he, she or it: Everybody is…, Nobody knows…, Does anyone…?

  1. likes
  2. knows
  3. is
  4. Does
  5. has

C. Some- in positive statements. Any- after a negative verb, or in a positive statement for 'it does not matter who/what/where'. No- with a positive verb for 'not any'. Every- for 'all'. -body and -one mean the same.

  1. Nothing
  2. everything
  3. everywhere
  4. somebody / someone
  5. anywhere
  6. anybody / anyone — In a positive statement anybody / anyone means 'it does not matter who'. Everybody / everyone is also right here.

D. Not + an any- word = a no- word with a positive verb: I didn't see anything = I saw nothing. Only one negative word.

  1. We ate nothing on the plane. / On the plane we ate nothing.
  2. Anna doesn't call anybody on Sundays. / Anna doesn't call anyone on Sundays.
  3. There is nowhere to buy food near the station. / Near the station there is nowhere to buy food.
  4. Anna doesn't have anyone to talk to. / Anna doesn't have anybody to talk to.
  5. I have got nothing to wear for the party. / I have nothing to wear for the party.

E. An adjective or else comes after words like something (something different, anything else). Nobody takes a positive verb. Anywhere goes after a negative verb.

  1. Tom wants to do something different this summer. / This summer Tom wants to do something different.
  2. Nobody in my family eats meat. / In my family nobody eats meat.
  3. Is there anything else you need?
  4. We didn't go anywhere special on holiday. / On holiday we didn't go anywhere special.

F. One negative word only. A singular verb after these words. The adjective after the word (something cold). Somebody / someone for one person you do not name. No one is two words.

  1. Anna didn't tell anybody about the party. / Anna didn't tell anyone about the party.
  2. Everybody is waiting for you outside. / Everyone is waiting for you outside.
  3. I'd like to drink something cold. / I'd like something cold to drink.
  4. Nobody in our class has a car. / No one in our class has a car.
  5. Can I ask you something? (✓) — This question is right: it is a request, and you expect the answer yes, so something fits.
  6. Somebody stole my bike last night. / Someone stole my bike last night.
  7. No one wants to go out in this rain. (✓) — This sentence is right: no one is two words, and it takes the verb form wants.
  8. No one came to Tom's birthday party. / Nobody came to Tom's birthday party.

G. No- words can be a short answer on their own (Nothing., Nobody.). Any- in an answer often means 'it does not matter which' (Anywhere.). Every- means 'all' (Everybody.).

  1. 1 a · 2 e · 3 d · 4 c · 5 b

Lesson: “Something, anything, nothing: some-, any-, no- and every- words” (A2), Krumeto · https://krumeto.com/grammar/something-anything-nothing · written for Krumeto with the help of AI tools · Worksheet: krumeto.com

Something, anything, nothing: some-, any-, no- and every- words — worksheet | Krumeto