Let’s be honest: English grammar can sometimes feel like a minefield. One of the most common “mines” that trips up learners is subject-verb agreement (the match between a subject and its verb), especially when the subject is an indefinite pronoun.
A sentence like “Everyone in this room (is/are) confused” can make us pause. Is “everyone” singular or plural?
Indefinite pronouns are words that don’t refer to a specific person, place, or thing. They are “indefinite.” Because of this vague nature, they often cause problems in sentences.
This article will break down the rules, provide clear examples, and, most importantly, offer practical exercises (complete with an answer key) that you can use to test your understanding.
The Golden Rule: Three Categories of Indefinite Pronouns
To conquer this topic, you just need to divide these pronouns into three groups: (1) The Always Singular, (2) The Always Plural, and (3) The “Chameleons” that can change.
1. The Always Singular Group
This is the largest and most common group. Even though some of these words feel “plural” (like “everybody”), they are grammatically always considered singular and must be followed by a singular verb (like is, was, has, writes).
- each
- either, neither
- one, no one, nobody, nothing
- everyone, everybody, everything
- anyone, anybody, anything
- someone, somebody, something
Examples:
- Everybody is happy about the news. (Not are)
- Each of the students has a textbook. (Not have)
- Nothing seems right today. (Not seem)
- Someone has left their wallet. (Not have)
Classic Tip: Look for “One,” “Body,” and “Thing.” If the pronoun ends in one of these three words (like everyone, somebody, nothing), it’s a strong clue that it’s singular.
2. The Always Plural Group
This group is much smaller and easier to remember. These pronouns are always considered plural and must be followed by a plural verb (like are, were, have, write).
- both
- few
- many
- several
Examples:
- Many are still waiting outside. (Not is)
- Few understand the complexity of the problem. (Not understands)
- Both of the dogs need a walk. (Not needs)
3. The Chameleon Group (Depends on Context)
This is the trickiest part. These pronouns can be singular or plural, depending on the noun they refer to. These words are often nicknamed “SANAM” (or “SAMAN”).
- Some
- All
- None
- Any
- Most
How do you decide? You must look at the prepositional phrase (usually starting with “of”) that follows it.
- If the noun after “of” is non-count (cannot be counted) or singular, use a singular verb.
- If the noun after “of” is count (can be counted) or plural, use a plural verb.
Examples (Singular – Non-Count):
- Some of the water is contaminated. (Water is non-count)
- All of the advice was helpful. (Advice is non-count)
- Most of the cake has been eaten. (Cake here refers to a single unit)
Examples (Plural – Count):
- Some of the students are late. (Students is count and plural)
- All of the cookies were eaten. (Cookies is count and plural)
- Most of the people understand the rule. (People is count and plural)
A Special Note on “None”: Technically, “none” means “not one” and can be considered singular in formal writing. However, in modern English, “none” is very commonly accepted as plural (meaning “not any”).
- Formal: None of the students is ready.
- Common/Informal: None of the students are ready. Both are often considered correct today, but if you’re in doubt on a formal test, check your instructor’s preference.
The Common Trap: Prepositional Phrases
The biggest mistake people make is looking at the noun closest to the verb, even when it’s not the subject.
- Incorrect: Each of the apples are ripe.
- Correct: Each of the apples is ripe.
The subject is Each (Group 1: Always Singular), not apples. The phrase “of the apples” just describes “Each.” Don’t let the plural word apples fool you!
Exercises
Copy these exercises into your own document (like a PDF or Word file) and try them before looking at the answers.
Part 1: Choose the Correct Verb
Choose the correct verb from the parentheses.
- Everybody (knows / know) the truth.
- Neither of the answers (is / are) correct.
- Many of the children (was / were) playing outside.
- All of the information (seems / seem) accurate.
- Each of the team members (has / have) a specific role.
- Someone (has / have) to take responsibility.
- Few (believes / believe) his story.
- Most of the milk (was / were) spilled on the floor.
- Several of the cats (needs / need) to be fed.
- Anything (is / are) better than nothing.
- Both of my sisters (is / are) doctors.
- None of the pie (is / are) left.
- No one in the office (wants / want) to volunteer.
- Some of the coins (was / were) missing from the jar.
- Either of the options (sounds / sound) good to me.
Part 2: Find and Fix the Error
Find the one subject-verb agreement error in each sentence and correct it. If there is no error, write “Correct.”
- Everything in those boxes need to be moved.
- Many of the guests has already arrived.
- Each of the candidates have good qualifications.
- Most of the sand are wet from the rain.
- All of the players, including the captain, looks tired.
Answer Key
Part 1: Choose the Correct Verb
- knows (Everybody is singular)
- is (Neither is singular)
- were (Many is plural)
- seems (Information is non-count, so it’s singular)
- has (Each is singular; the subject is “Each,” not “members”)
- has (Someone is singular)
- believe (Few is plural)
- was (Milk is non-count, so it’s singular)
- need (Several is plural)
- is (Anything is singular)
- are (Both is plural)
- is (Pie here is non-count; refers to the remainder of the pie)
- wants (No one is singular)
- were (Coins is count and plural)
- sounds (Either is singular)
Part 2: Find and Fix the Error
- Everything in those boxes needs to be moved. (Error: need. The subject is “Everything,” which is singular).
- Many of the guests have already arrived. (Error: has. The subject is “Many,” which is plural).
- Each of the candidates has good qualifications. (Error: have. The subject is “Each,” which is singular).
- Most of the sand is wet from the rain. (Error: are. The subject “Most” refers to “sand,” which is non-count).
- All of the players, including the captain, look tired. (Error: looks. The subject “All” refers to “players,” which is plural).
Conclusion
The key to mastering indefinite pronouns is practice and pattern recognition. When you’re in doubt, ask yourself: Is this word inherently singular (like everyone), plural (like many), or a chameleon (like some)? If it’s a chameleon, check the noun it refers to.