2.2 Subject-Verb Agreement
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns refer to an unspecified person, thing, or number. When an indefinite pronoun serves as the subject of a sentence, you will often use a singular verb form.
However, keep in mind that exceptions arise. Some indefinite pronouns may require a plural verb form. To determine whether to use a singular or plural verb with an indefinite pronoun, consider the noun that the pronoun would refer to. If the noun is plural, then use a plural verb with the indefinite pronoun. View the chart to see a list of common indefinite pronouns and the verb forms they agree with.
| Indefinite Pronouns That Always Take a Singular Verb | Indefinite Pronouns That Can Take a Singular or Plural Verb |
| anybody, anyone, anything | All |
| each | Any |
| everybody, everyone, everything | None |
| much | Some |
| many | |
| nobody, no one, nothing | |
| somebody, someone, something |
Singular: Everybody in the kitchen sings along when that song comes on the radio.
The indefinite pronoun everybody takes a singular verb form because everybody refers to a group performing the same action as a single unit.
Plural: All the people in the kitchen sing along when that song comes on the radio.
The indefinite pronoun all takes a plural verb form because all refers to the plural noun people. Because people is plural, all is plural.
Singular: All the cake is on the floor.
In this sentence, the indefinite pronoun all takes a singular verb form because all refers to the singular noun cake. Because cake is singular, all is singular.
