Indefinite pronouns — words like everyone, something, both, none — refer to people or things in a general way. The challenge is that most of them look vague, yet English grammar demands a specific verb form after each one. Some are always singular, some are always plural, and a third group shifts depending on what follows.
Always singular
Compound pronouns built from every-, some-, any-, and no- plus -body, -one, or -thing always take a singular verb. This is true even when the meaning feels plural — everybody refers to many people, but grammatically it behaves like a single unit.
Four more pronouns belong to the same group: each, every (when used alone as a pronoun), either, and neither. All four take a singular verb.
A common source of confusion is either and neither. They refer to two things, which makes them feel plural, but English treats them as singular because they single out one item at a time.
Always plural
A smaller group of indefinite pronouns is always plural: both, several, many, few, and others. They always take a plural verb.
These pronouns refer to more than one thing by definition, so plural agreement is straightforward.
Depends on the noun
A third group changes depending on what the pronoun refers to. These are sometimes called partitive pronouns: all, some, most, any, none, plenty, and a lot. The verb matches the noun that follows of.
When the noun after of is uncountable or singular, the verb is singular:
When the noun after of is plural, the verb is plural:
The practical test is simple: look at the noun after of. If it names a countable group, use a plural verb. If it names a mass or an abstract concept, use a singular verb.
The special case of *none*
None deserves its own note because usage is split. Traditionally, none was treated as strictly singular — short for not one. In modern English, both singular and plural are widely accepted.
Both forms are correct. In practice, the plural form is more common in everyday speech and writing. The singular form sounds more formal and is still preferred in some academic and legal contexts.
When none refers to an uncountable noun, it is always singular:
Pronoun reference: singular they
Compound indefinite pronouns (everyone, somebody, no one) take a singular verb, but when you need to refer back to them with a pronoun, English uses they/their/them. This is called singular they, and it is standard in modern English.
Notice the pattern: the verb stays singular (has, left, knows), but the reference pronoun is their or they. This is not a mismatch — it is how English handles gender-neutral reference to an unspecified person.
Common mistakes
Compound pronouns with plural verbs
Either / neither with plural verbs
Partitive pronouns ignoring the noun
Both / several / many with singular verbs
Pronoun reference without singular they