Adjectives After Indefinite Pronouns — Something Nice, Anywhere Else — English Grammar Exercises
Someone left something somewhere — but nobody knows anything. Master the full some-/any-/no-/every- system in 60 exercises.
Adjectives After Indefinite Pronouns
In standard English noun phrases, adjectives precede the noun: a beautiful place, an interesting book. Indefinite pronouns are an exception to this pattern: adjectives — including the word else — always follow the pronoun. This post-modifier position applies universally across the paradigm and causes persistent word-order errors among learners at all levels. Corpus data from the English Vocabulary Profile shows that adjective pre-position errors with indefinite pronouns ('beautiful something', 'interesting anything') appear in roughly 15% of B1 written compositions containing these forms.
The Rule: Adjective Follows the Pronoun
somewhere nice for dinner
anything interesting to read
nothing new in today's report
someone important to meet
'Else' Always Follows
The word else — meaning 'other' or 'in addition' — follows the same rule and must always come after the pronoun:
someone else ✓ — Did you tell someone else?
Is there anything else I can help with?
Let's go somewhere else — this place is too noisy.
Transformation: Rephrasing with an Indefinite Pronoun + Adjective
To express 'a bigger place', 'an interesting thing', or 'a fun activity' using an indefinite pronoun:
Let's do something fun. (not: 'fun something')
Common Mistakes
✗ There's new nothing in today's report. → ✓ There's nothing new.
✗ I haven't read interesting anything. → ✓ I haven't read anything interesting.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I use 'someone' vs 'anyone' in English?
Use 'someone/somebody/something/somewhere' in positive statements ('Someone called you') and in offers and polite requests ('Would you like something to eat?', 'Could someone help me?'). Use 'anyone/anybody/anything/anywhere' in questions ('Have you told anyone?'), in negative sentences ('I didn't see anything'), and in positive sentences meaning 'it doesn't matter who/what' ('Anyone can apply'). The pattern mirrors the some/any rule for nouns.
What is double negation and why is it wrong in English?
Double negation means using two negative words in one clause, such as 'I don't know nobody' or 'She didn't go nowhere'. Standard English requires a single negative per clause. The fix is to use either a negative verb with an 'any-' pronoun ('I don't know anybody / I didn't go anywhere') OR a positive verb with a 'no-' pronoun ('I know nobody / She went nowhere'). Never combine both.
Do 'everyone', 'somebody' and 'nothing' take a singular or plural verb?
All compound indefinite pronouns — everyone/everybody, someone/somebody, no one/nobody, anyone/anybody, everything, something, nothing, anything — take a singular verb, even though some refer to many people. Say 'Everyone is ready' (not 'are'), 'Nobody wants to leave' (not 'want'), 'Everything has been arranged' (not 'have'). For the possessive pronoun referring back to 'everyone', modern English uses 'their': 'Everyone should bring their own laptop.'
What is the difference between 'no one' and 'none of'?
'No one' (also written 'nobody') stands alone and refers to people in general: 'No one answered the door.' It cannot be followed by 'of'. 'None of' is used before a specific group (with a determiner): 'None of the students passed.' 'None of the answers were correct.' The form 'no one of the students' is incorrect — use 'none of the students' instead.