Indefinite Pronouns

1. Indefinite Pronouns 6-6 P. 318

2. Words such as someone and something refer to a person or thing that is not identified. • Such pronouns are called indefinite pronouns. • Someone is arriving.

3. Some indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural, depending on what they refer to in a sentence. • Check the chart on pg. 318

4. Some words that can function as indefinite pronouns can also act as adjectives modifying nouns. • Adjective- Each plane is ready. • Indefinite Pronoun- Each of the planes is ready.

5. Identify each indefinite pronoun. Is it singular or plural? Not every sentence has an indefinite pronoun. • Last year some of the boys and girls in Mrs. Leyden’s class traveled with her to the Netherlands. • Did you know that all of western Holland is below sea level and that nether means “low”? • Not everyone, however, took all of the tours that were planned for each day. • Naturally, no one wanted to miss the trip to a chocolate factory. • Many of us spent hours traveling up and down the narrow canals of Amsterdam.

6. Identify each indefinite pronoun. Is it singular or plural? Not every sentence has an indefinite pronoun. • 6. The trip had something to offer everyone. • 7. One day we visited the pottery factory at Delft, where we saw the workers hand-painting some vases. • 8. Both Mrs. Leyden and her daughter were born in The Hague, but neither of them had much time to visit relatives. • 9. Some of the most magnificent flowers anybody had ever seen appeared in the flower exhibit in Dam Square in Amsterdam. • 10. None of us will ever forget the Anne Frank House, where Anne’s family and several friends hid for two years.

7. Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns The words that follow the pronoun will tell you whether the meaning is singular or plural. If the pronoun refers to something that cannot be counted, it is singular.

8. Which word is correct? • 11. None of us (has, have) been to the museum, so some of us (is, are) going one day while others (is, are) going the next. • 12. Everybody (want, wants) to pack (his or her, their) suitcases before the last day of the trip. • 13. All of our luggage (has, have) grown smaller since we arrived!

9. Which word is correct? • 14. Each of the men (is, are) stopping in Frankfurt, Germany, on the way to (his, their) destination. • 15. Both of the customs officials (has, have) finished checking most of the passengers. • 16. (Has, Have) all of them brought (his or her, their) passports?

10. Which word is correct? • 17. All of the jobs (is, are) done. • 18. None of the tickets (has, have) been picked up yet. • 19. Everybody on the overseas flight (was, were) destroyed. • 20. Few in the last hour (was, were) able to land. • 21. Many in the room could not find (his, their) bags.

11. Find the indefinite pronoun and label it singular or plural. • 22. Have all of you read Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates, which is one of my favorite books? • 23. Anyone who has not read it has missed a really great story. • 24. In the winter, most of the canals freeze throughout the Netherlands. • 25. Many of the people throughout the Netherlands enjoy ice-skating on the frozen canals. • 26. None of us can ice-skate as well as the character Hans Brinker could.

12. Find the indefinite pronoun and label it singular or plural. • 27. A few of my friends have heard the book. • 28. Some of my classmates have seen an old movie based on the book. • 29. Neither of us remembered to bring some refreshments for the book report party. • 30. Everyone did some research, but no one had spent much time on it. • 31. Nevertheless, most of us participated in the discussion, and several shared original artwork.