Are "everyone", "everybody", "everything", and "everywhere" singular or plural.
I have found people who are say they are singular but also people who say they are plural. I can anyone give me an explanation?
Thank you
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they're all singular - i'm not the best person to explain why other than saying that's just the way the language is.– user428517Commented Dec 17, 2014 at 20:54
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Collective nouns are generally treated as singular.– BarmarCommented Dec 17, 2014 at 20:56
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1 Answer
They are all singular indefinite pronouns. The ones you listed are always singular. However, there are three indefinite pronouns that can be singular or plural, depending on the context: all, some, and none. These depend on whether what you're using them with is singular or plural. For example:
All the pie is gone. All the pieces of pie are gone.
Some of the pie is gone. Some of the pieces of pie are gone.
None of the pie is gone. None of the pieces of pie are gone.
Maybe it was these indefinite pronouns that people were referring to when they said they could be plural. But the ones you listed, along with others such as somebody, nobody, each, and every, are always singular.
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1These are actually Quantifiers combined with indefinite pronouns, and quantifier syntax is rather complex. As you point out, all with count nouns is plural, while each and every are singular. Commented Dec 17, 2014 at 21:44