6 TH GRADE ENGLISH Indefinite Pronouns

First, what are Pronouns? Pronoun: A word that takes the place of a noun or a group of words acting as a noun. We use them so we don’t have to say the same nouns over and over.

For Example… Think about poor Mrs. Dursley. If you wrote only using nouns, it might go like this: There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; Mrs. Dursley always got so upset at the mention of Mrs. Dursley’s sister. That’s a lot of Mrs. Dursleys! Now, with pronouns: There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at the mention of her sister. Much better, right?

Antecedent of the Pronoun Antecedent = the noun the pronoun refers to (or replaces) Example: The firefighters described how they did their job. (Firefighters is the antecedent.)

There once were four best friends named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody, when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Indefinite Pronouns An indefinite pronoun does not refer to any specific person, thing, or amount. It is vague, not “definite.” Some indefinite pronouns are: all, another, any, anybody, anyone, anything, each, everybody, everyone, everything, few, many, nobody, none, one, several, some, somebody, someone Choose at least six and write them in your journal!

They can be one thing, or another! Many indefinite pronouns can also function as other parts of speech. He has one job during the day and another at night. Here, another is an indefinite pronoun. I’d like another soda, please. Now it’s an adjective that modifies soda.

Everybody loves Indefinite Pronouns Identify the indefinite pronouns in the sentences: 1. Surely you must know somebody at this school. 2. Does anybody have the time? 3. One sang while the other played the guitar. 4. Is there anything I can do? 5. Gavin’s secret was known by few. 6. Calculus is very challenging for some.

Ms. Cox’s Indy 500 (Indy=Indefinite) Race to find the indefinite pronouns in the following paragraph. Write them on a piece of paper and everyone stand when you have 10. First team to have all 10 wins a prize!

Find the indefinite pronouns (Careful! Some adjectives may look like them.) I went on another trip last week. Few have visited the park I saw, because everyone visits Yellowstone. I saw something moving in the woods, but could not see it clearly. Then there was more movement and everybody saw it. Either could have been a bear or both were just the wind. Nobody could figure it out, but we had many guesses. The scenery there was gorgeous; one could see for miles. Anybody would love that one view of the valley because nothing is more beautiful.

Find the indefinite pronouns (Careful! Some adjectives may look like them.) I went on another trip last week. Few have visited the park I saw, because everyone visits Yellowstone. I saw something moving in the woods, but could not see it clearly. Then there was more movement and everybody saw it. Either could have been a bear or both were just the wind. Nobody could figure it out, but we had many guesses. The scenery there was gorgeous; one could see for miles. Anybody would love that one view of the valley because nothing is more beautiful.

Your ticket out the door 1. Put your name, date, and period on the card. 2. Turn to page 314 in your book and read the passage. 3. Answer questions 1-4.