A2 · Elementary · Practice

Something, Anything, Nothing: A2 Exercises

60 exercises · 20 multiple choice · 20 fill in the blank · 20 word ordering

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Indefinite pronouns let you talk about people, things and places without naming them, and English builds them out of four beginnings and three endings. Some-, any-, no- and every- combine with -thing, -body and -where to make a neat grid: something, anywhere, nobody, everything. Once you see the grid, twelve words become one pattern.

The choice between the beginnings follows exactly the rule you already know from some and any. Some- belongs in positive statements and in offers; any- belongs in negatives and questions; no- makes the sentence negative by itself, which is why nothing takes a positive verb — I saw nothing, never I didn't see nothing. These sixty exercises drill the grid, that verb agreement rule, and the detail learners most often miss: all of these pronouns are grammatically singular, so it is everybody is here, not everybody are here.

60 exercises in this set

3 question types

~25 minutes to finish

80% to pass

What these exercises drill

Every question in this set tests one of the rules below. If any of them is unfamiliar, read the Something, Anything, Nothing lesson first — practice before the rule is understood mostly teaches you your own guesses.

Some- compounds (something, someone, somewhere) go in positive sentences.
Any- compounds go in negatives and questions.
No- compounds (nothing, nobody, nowhere) are negative by themselves with a positive verb.
Every- compounds mean 'all' and take a singular verb.

Practise Something, Anything, Nothing now

Answer at your own pace — nothing is timed and nothing is submitted. Each answer is marked the moment you give it, the explanation appears whether you were right or wrong, and the progress bar tracks all 60. Your score is saved in this browser, and to your account if you are signed in.

Multiple choice questions

Choose the correct answer.

There's ___ at the door.anybody · somebody · nobody's · everybody's
I didn't see ___ in the corridor.something · anything · nothing · everything
___ was in the office when I arrived.Anybody · Nobody · Anything · Nowhere
Would you like ___ to drink?anything · something · nothing · everything
Is there ___ I can do to help?something · anything · nothing · somewhere
___ in this town closes at nine.Everything · Anything · Nothing at · Somewhere
We went ___ interesting last weekend.anywhere · somewhere · nowhere's · everywhere's
I've looked ___ and I still can't find it.somewhere · everywhere · anywhere · nowhere
Which sentence is correct?I didn't say nothing. · I said nothing. · I didn't said nothing. · I not said nothing.
___ knows the answer to that question.Nobody · Anybody · Something · Anywhere
Has ___ seen my glasses?somebody · anybody · nobody · everybody's
There is ___ wrong with the printer again.anything · something · nothing's · everywhere
Everybody ___ already arrived.have · has · are · were
We couldn't find the keys ___.somewhere · anywhere · nowhere · everywhere
___ interesting happened at the meeting.Anything · Nothing · Somewhere · Anybody
Take ___ warm — it's freezing outside.anything · something · nothing · everywhere
Where does the adjective go? I want something ___.before something · after something · either place · it cannot be used
Do you know ___ who speaks Arabic?somebody · anybody · nobody · everybody
___ has taken my umbrella.Anybody · Somebody · Anything · Anywhere
Which sentence means the room was empty?Somebody was there. · Anybody was there. · There was nobody there. · Everybody was there.

Fill-in-the-blank questions

Type the missing word.

There's __________ waiting for you in reception.
I didn't buy __________ at the market today.
__________ phoned while you were out, but they didn't leave a name.
Would you like __________ to eat before the film?
Is there __________ in the bathroom? The door is locked.
__________ happened all afternoon — it was completely quiet.
We went __________ quiet for our anniversary.
I've searched __________ and the passport isn't in the flat.
__________ knows exactly what happened that night.
Has __________ seen the remote control?
Everybody __________ enjoying the concert.
There is __________ strange about that email.
We couldn't park __________ near the stadium.
Take __________ to read on the train.
__________ in the shop was reduced by half.
He said __________ about the change of plan.
Do you know __________ near the station where we could eat?
__________ has left a bag under the seat.
I haven't told __________ about the interview.
There was __________ we could do to stop it.

Sentence structure: word ordering

Put the words in the correct order.

Announce an unidentified visitor.There / is / somebody / at / the / front / door.
Deny noticing a disturbance.I / didn't / hear / anything / unusual / last / night.
Report a failed attempt to reach somebody.Nobody / answered / the / phone / this / morning.
Offer a guest a beverage.Would / you / like / something / to / drink?
Offer help with a genuine question.Is / there / anything / I / can / do?
Describe an entire stock.Everything / in / this / shop / is / handmade.
Describe a peaceful restaurant choice.We / went / somewhere / quiet / for / dinner.
Describe an exhaustive search.I / have / looked / everywhere / for / my / keys.
Complain about an occupied chair.Somebody / has / taken / my / seat.
Report a dull day, with the adjective after the pronoun.Nothing / interesting / happened / at / work / today.
Ask a household about lost items.Has / anybody / seen / the / car / keys?
Advise a friend about the temperature.Take / something / warm / for / the / evening.
Describe an empty space.There / was / nobody / in / the / waiting / room.
Complain about a failed search for a space.We / couldn't / find / anywhere / to / park.
Describe a group's shared anticipation.Everybody / is / waiting / for / the / results.
Report complete secrecy.He / told / nobody / about / his / decision.
Ask about contacts in a city.Do / you / know / anybody / in / Tbilisi?
Report an unidentified fault.There / is / something / wrong / with / the / engine.
Say a piece of news is still private.I / haven't / told / anyone / about / it / yet.
Report a late arrival in a town.Everything / was / closed / by / the / time / we / arrived.

Show the answer key for all 60 exercises

Every answer with the reason behind it. Read the explanation for the ones you got right as well — that is where you find out whether you were right for the right reason.

Multiple choice questions — answers

1. There's ___ at the door. → somebody: A positive statement takes the some- form.
2. I didn't see ___ in the corridor. → anything: The verb is already negative, so the pronoun must be an any- form.
3. ___ was in the office when I arrived. → Nobody: Nobody makes the sentence negative on its own.
4. Would you like ___ to drink? → something: Offers take the some- form even though they are questions.
5. Is there ___ I can do to help? → anything: A genuine question takes the any- form.
6. ___ in this town closes at nine. → Everything: Everything refers to the whole set and takes a singular verb.
7. We went ___ interesting last weekend. → somewhere: A positive statement takes somewhere, and the adjective follows it.
8. I've looked ___ and I still can't find it. → everywhere: Everywhere means in all places.
9. Which sentence is correct? → I said nothing.: Nothing is already negative, so the verb stays positive.
10. ___ knows the answer to that question. → Nobody: Nobody makes the statement negative without another negative word.
11. Has ___ seen my glasses? → anybody: A question asking for information takes the any- form.
12. There is ___ wrong with the printer again. → something: A positive statement takes something, even when the news is bad.
13. Everybody ___ already arrived. → has: Indefinite pronouns are grammatically singular.
14. We couldn't find the keys ___. → anywhere: Couldn't makes the clause negative, so anywhere is required.
15. ___ interesting happened at the meeting. → Nothing: Nothing carries the negative meaning by itself.
16. Take ___ warm — it's freezing outside. → something: An imperative urging an action takes the some- form.
17. Where does the adjective go? I want something ___. → after something: Adjectives follow indefinite pronouns: something cold, nothing new.
18. Do you know ___ who speaks Arabic? → anybody: A real question about the facts takes the any- form.
19. ___ has taken my umbrella. → Somebody: A positive statement takes somebody.
20. Which sentence means the room was empty? → There was nobody there.: Nobody expresses the absence of people.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. There's ___ waiting for you in reception. → somebody: A positive statement takes the some- form.
2. I didn't buy ___ at the market today. → anything: The negative verb requires the any- form.
3. ___ phoned while you were out, but they didn't leave a name. → Somebody: A positive statement takes the some- form.
4. Would you like ___ to eat before the film? → something: Offers take the some- form despite being questions.
5. Is there ___ in the bathroom? The door is locked. → anybody: A genuine question takes the any- form.
6. ___ happened all afternoon — it was completely quiet. → Nothing: Nothing carries the negative meaning without another negative word.
7. We went ___ quiet for our anniversary. → somewhere: A positive statement takes somewhere, with the adjective after it.
8. I've searched ___ and the passport isn't in the flat. → everywhere: Everywhere means in all possible places.
9. ___ knows exactly what happened that night. → Nobody: Nobody makes the sentence negative by itself.
10. Has ___ seen the remote control? → anybody: A question asking for information takes the any- form.
11. Everybody ___ enjoying the concert. → is: Indefinite pronouns take a singular verb.
12. There is ___ strange about that email. → something: A positive statement takes something, with the adjective following.
13. We couldn't park ___ near the stadium. → anywhere: The negative clause requires the any- form.
14. Take ___ to read on the train. → something: An imperative urging an action takes the some- form.
15. ___ in the shop was reduced by half. → Everything: Everything refers to the whole set and takes a singular verb.
16. He said ___ about the change of plan. → nothing: Nothing carries the negation, so the verb stays positive.
17. Do you know ___ near the station where we could eat? → anywhere: A real question takes the any- form.
18. ___ has left a bag under the seat. → Somebody: A positive statement takes the some- form.
19. I haven't told ___ about the interview. → anybody: The negative verb requires the any- form.
20. There was ___ we could do to stop it. → nothing: Nothing expresses total absence of possibility.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Announce an unidentified visitor. → There is somebody at the front door.: Announce an unidentified visitor.
2. Deny noticing a disturbance. → I didn't hear anything unusual last night.: Deny noticing a disturbance.
3. Report a failed attempt to reach somebody. → Nobody answered the phone this morning.: Report a failed attempt to reach somebody.
4. Offer a guest a beverage. → Would you like something to drink?: Offer a guest a beverage.
5. Offer help with a genuine question. → Is there anything I can do?: Offer help with a genuine question.
6. Describe an entire stock. → Everything in this shop is handmade.: Describe an entire stock.
7. Describe a peaceful restaurant choice. → We went somewhere quiet for dinner.: Describe a peaceful restaurant choice.
8. Describe an exhaustive search. → I have looked everywhere for my keys.: Describe an exhaustive search.
9. Complain about an occupied chair. → Somebody has taken my seat.: Complain about an occupied chair.
10. Report a dull day, with the adjective after the pronoun. → Nothing interesting happened at work today.: Report a dull day, with the adjective after the pronoun.
11. Ask a household about lost items. → Has anybody seen the car keys?: Ask a household about lost items.
12. Advise a friend about the temperature. → Take something warm for the evening.: Advise a friend about the temperature.
13. Describe an empty space. → There was nobody in the waiting room.: Describe an empty space.
14. Complain about a failed search for a space. → We couldn't find anywhere to park.: Complain about a failed search for a space.
15. Describe a group's shared anticipation. → Everybody is waiting for the results.: Describe a group's shared anticipation.
16. Report complete secrecy. → He told nobody about his decision.: Report complete secrecy.
17. Ask about contacts in a city. → Do you know anybody in Tbilisi?: Ask about contacts in a city.
18. Report an unidentified fault. → There is something wrong with the engine.: Report an unidentified fault.
19. Say a piece of news is still private. → I haven't told anyone about it yet.: Say a piece of news is still private.
20. Report a late arrival in a town. → Everything was closed by the time we arrived.: Report a late arrival in a town.

The errors these questions are built to catch

I didn't see nothing.

I didn't see anything. / I saw nothing.

English allows only one negative per clause — choose didn't + anything or saw + nothing.
Everybody are ready.

Everybody is ready.

Every- words are grammatically singular despite meaning many people.
Did something call me? (open question)

Did anything/anyone call me?

Open questions take any- compounds; some- in questions implies you expect yes.

After this set

You can now refer to people and things you cannot name. The A2 syllabus turns next to the modal verbs, beginning with ability: can, could and be able to.