indefinite pronoun

A pronoun that refers to an unspecified person or thing. Indefinite pronouns include quantifiers (some, any, enough, several, many, much); universals (all, both, every, each); and partitives (any, anyone, anybody, either, neither, no, nobody, some, someone). Many of the indefinite pronouns can function as determiners.

Examples and Observations:

• "For many are called, but few are chosen."
  (Bible, Matthew 22.14)



• "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."
  (Abraham Lincoln)



• "It's clear that one is singular and takes a singular verb. One is, never one are. However, there's a small group of indefinite pronouns that have one in them, or imply the word one, that give us all verb trouble.

  either, either one
  each, each one
  any, anyone, anybody
  everyone, everybody
  none, no one, nobody
  neither, neither one

  In speaking, most of us always correctly use the singular verb with anyone and anybody:

  Anyone around my base is it.
  If anybody wants this, he can have it.

  But with the rest of the list, we often shift to the plural if there's an intervening modifying phrase:

  Everyone is late for breakfast today.
  Everyone of us are late for breakfast today.
  Neither horse has been shod yet.
  Neither of the horses have been shod yet.

  We suggest that you say whatever you like, whatever sounds most comfortable. When it comes to writing, if you think somebody's going to be evaluating your grammar, stick to the singular verb after each of these words."
  (Judi Kesselman-Turkel and Franklynn Peterson, The Grammar Crammer, Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 2003)



• "Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."
  (Oscar Wilde)



• "A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them."
  (P. J. O'Rourke)