Indefinite Pronouns in Negative Sentences
2020-10-30
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1Imagine you are listening to music in English.
2Perhaps you hear a few words from "Something," performed by The Beatles.
3Something in the way she moves
4Attracts me like no other lover
5You might wonder about the title, or name, of the song.
6The word something belongs to a group of words known as expanded indefinite pronouns.
7We will explore some of these terms today.
8But first, let us begin with a few definitions.
9In another Everyday Grammar program, we reported on expanded indefinite pronouns.
10Expanded indefinite pronouns are words that end in -thing, -body, or -one.
11Examples include something, anybody, everyone, or nothing.
12Make sure you read our earlier story if you have questions about how native speakers make such words.
13Many English learners face a problem when trying to use expanded indefinite pronouns.
14It is unclear how native English speakers use these unusual pronouns - especially when they appear in negative or affirmative sentences.
15Negative sentences have the word 'no,' 'not' or sometimes another negative word such as 'never.'
16Affirmative sentences are statements that have a positive meaning.
17They generally do not have a negative word.
18In general, the negative word determines, or decides, the pronoun that is used.
19Let us explore this idea in more detail.
20English speakers often use expanded pronouns with "some-" in affirmative sentences, as in:
21Would you like something sweet to eat?
22Yes, I would like something sweet.
23But, expanded pronouns with the word "any" often appear in negative sentences, as in:
24Did you see something?
25No, I didn't see anything.
26Or:
27Did you see somebody?
28No, I didn't see anybody.
29Take our earlier example about sweets. Imagine how the sentence would change if it were negative:
30Would you like something sweet to eat?
31No thanks - I don't feel like anything sweet.
32In general, English speakers use expanded pronouns with the word "no" in statements that do not have another negative word.
33In other words, sentences with pronouns such as "nothing," "no one," or "nobody" rarely if ever have other negative terms such "no" or "never."
34Imagine you are watching an American crime show on television (TV). Perhaps the police are questioning a suspect.
35What did you see?
36I saw nothing.
37But if the suspect used another negative word, the sentence would change, as in:
38What did you see?
39I didn't (did not) see anything.
40Our final expanded indefinite pronouns today begin with the word "every-."
41Such words are flexible, meaning they can appear in affirmative or negative sentences.
42Here are a few examples:
43I spoke to everyone.
44I didn't speak to everyone.
45I agreed with everything she said.
46I didn't agree with everything she said.
47Remember that you might hear native speakers use expanded indefinite pronouns in different ways.
48The goal of this report was to give you an idea of how English speakers often use such pronouns.
49Our goal was not to tell you how native speakers always use these pronouns.
50At the beginning of this report, you heard part of "Something" by The Beatles.
51Something in the way she moves
52Attracts me like no other lover
53The next time you watch a TV show or movie in English, try to listen for examples of expanded indefinite pronouns.
54Listen to how and when the speakers use each pronoun.
55In other words, pay attention to these words, in the same way that The Beatles were paying close attention to the woman in the song.
56With time, patience, and repetition, you might one day think to yourself: There is nothing too difficult about these pronouns.
57Or maybe: I cannot think of anything easier than English grammar.
58I'm John Russell.
1Imagine you are listening to music in English. Perhaps you hear a few words from "Something," performed by The Beatles. 2Something in the way she moves 3Attracts me like no other lover 4You might wonder about the title, or name, of the song. The word something belongs to a group of words known as expanded indefinite pronouns. We will explore some of these terms today. But first, let us begin with a few definitions. 5Definitions and problems 6In another Everyday Grammar program, we reported on expanded indefinite pronouns. Expanded indefinite pronouns are words that end in -thing, -body, or -one. Examples include something, anybody, everyone, or nothing. 7Make sure you read our earlier story if you have questions about how native speakers make such words. 8Many English learners face a problem when trying to use expanded indefinite pronouns. It is unclear how native English speakers use these unusual pronouns - especially when they appear in negative or affirmative sentences. 9Negative sentences have the word 'no,' 'not' or sometimes another negative word such as 'never.' 10Affirmative sentences are statements that have a positive meaning. They generally do not have a negative word. 11In general, the negative word determines, or decides, the pronoun that is used. Let us explore this idea in more detail. 12Some vs. any 13English speakers often use expanded pronouns with "some-" in affirmative sentences, as in: 14Would you like something sweet to eat? 15Yes, I would like something sweet. 16But, expanded pronouns with the word "any" often appear in negative sentences, as in: 17Did you see something? 18No, I didn't see anything. 19Or: 20Did you see somebody? 21No, I didn't see anybody. 22Take our earlier example about sweets. Imagine how the sentence would change if it were negative: 23Would you like something sweet to eat? 24No thanks - I don't feel like anything sweet. 25What about no- and every- ? 26In general, English speakers use expanded pronouns with the word "no" in statements that do not have another negative word. In other words, sentences with pronouns such as "nothing," "no one," or "nobody" rarely if ever have other negative terms such "no" or "never." 27Imagine you are watching an American crime show on television (TV). Perhaps the police are questioning a suspect. 28What did you see? 29I saw nothing. 30But if the suspect used another negative word, the sentence would change, as in: 31What did you see? 32I didn't (did not) see anything. 33Our final expanded indefinite pronouns today begin with the word "every-." Such words are flexible, meaning they can appear in affirmative or negative sentences. Here are a few examples: 34I spoke to everyone. 35I didn't speak to everyone. 36I agreed with everything she said. 37I didn't agree with everything she said. 38Closing thoughts 39Remember that you might hear native speakers use expanded indefinite pronouns in different ways. The goal of this report was to give you an idea of how English speakers often use such pronouns. Our goal was not to tell you how native speakers always use these pronouns. 40At the beginning of this report, you heard part of "Something" by The Beatles. 41Something in the way she moves 42Attracts me like no other lover 43The next time you watch a TV show or movie in English, try to listen for examples of expanded indefinite pronouns. Listen to how and when the speakers use each pronoun. In other words, pay attention to these words, in the same way that The Beatles were paying close attention to the woman in the song. 44With time, patience, and repetition, you might one day think to yourself: There is nothing too difficult about these pronouns. Or maybe: I cannot think of anything easier than English grammar. 45I'm John Russell. 46John Russell wrote this report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 47______________________________________________________________ 48Words in This Story 49grammar - n. the structure and whole system of a language 50attract - v. to cause (someone) to like or be interested in something - usually used as (be) attracted 51indefinite - adj. unclear in meaning or detail 52We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.