Lesson Eleven

everyone and everybody

(indefinite pronouns)

singular

Use "everyone" or "everybody" when talking about each and every person in a group. This is similar in meaning to the word "all"; however, this word is singular–it’s not plural.

There are a few important things to consider when using these pronouns:

1. We often use the word "everyone" (or "everybody") when exaggerating or when we mean to say "a lot of people" or "many people." For example….

• Millienium Park in Chicago is a popular destination for tourists. Everyone goes there. (Well, not everyone, but many people go there.)
• Everyone had a good time at the party. (Actually, one or two people had a terrible time.)
• Everybody loves this music. (No, not everyone, but many people do.)

2. In the present tense, ‘s is often used as a contraction for "is" and "has":

• Everyone’s here. (Everyone is…)
• Everybody’s having a good time. (Everybody is…)
• Do you think everyone’s had enough to eat? (…everyone has had…)
• Everybody’s got to go. (Everybody has got…)

3. When "everyone" is an antecedent, many people use "his or her" because there is no gender neutral singular pronoun in English. The alternative is to use a plural pronoun, which is what many Americans do:

• Everyone has his or her own book. (correct)
• Everyone has their own book. (incorrect, but many people find this usage acceptable.)
• I couldn’t find my name on the list, but everyone else found theirs. (incorrect grammatically but still okay. To say "his or hers" sounds too correct.)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Aqua Level Exercise 11

Write these sentences and questions in your notebook. Fill in the blanks with….

everyone   everyone’s    his or her  

1. _________ late.

2. Do you know _________ here?

3. I’m not sure if __________ here.

4. This park belongs to __________.

5. Everyone needs to concentrate on ___________ own work.

6. T-shirts were given to ________ who walked into the stadium.

7. Food was on __________ mind before lunch.

8. Okay, __________. Let’s go.

9. Are you sure _________ on the bus?

10. Everyone paid for _________ own lunch.

Next: Lesson Twelve

Answers: 1. Everyone’s; 2. everyone; 3. everyone’s; 4. everyone; 5. his or her; 6. everyone; 7. everyone’s; 8. everyone; 9. everyone’s; 10. his or her