Learn English – Anyone/anybody- someone/somebody

meaningword-meaningword-usage

I have some difficulty to understand when to use the 4 words: anybody, somebody, anyone, someone.
For example: “I would like to ask if someone can help me” is it right?
And if I want to start the quote with one of these words, it can be: “Anyone can help?”
I’m confused.

Best Answer

Because these four words are constructed from combinations of parts, it is worthwhile to consider the parts separately.

Words ending in -one versus -body

Both have the same meaning, but as observed in some sources (see discussion in Cambridge Dictionary), compared to -one words, -body words are slightly more familiar (informal). I suggest that formal language prefers -one words over -body words, whereas vernacular speech probably shows a more balanced frequency. I believe that while neither choice is better than the other, native speakers naturally, but only slightly, may prefer, for longer sentences, -one words, because they are easier to speak, and for shorter sentences, -body words, because they are easier to notice. For example:

  • "If someone has a problem with the administration of the company, that person must submit a complaint to a manager".

  • "I think somebody's coming"

Words beginning in any- versus some-

Formally, any- words belong to a type called indefinite determiners, whereas some- words belong to one called definite determiners. Various detailed discussions (see Wikipedia article) of this distinction are available, but understanding them is not necessary to learn the language.

Also, a diverse range of viewpoints is provided in the similar question Is using “someone” in a question correct?.

Both are equally good choices in many contexts. However, any- (indefinite) words tend to emphasize a question of which particular person is of some kind or acts in some way, whereas some- words (definite) tend to emphasize the question of whether or not at least one person does so, with limited attention toward which particular person.

For example:

  • "If anyone from your office is single, then I hope you would introduce us.": In this case, anyone is an appropriate choice, because the intention is to identify some particular members of a group, not merely to determine whether or not such members exist.

  • "Someone from the repair shop called.": In this case, someone is an appropriate choice, because the intention is to express that a call occurred, without concern for which person made the call.

The distinction is similar to that between indefinite and definite articles, though the difference is less important for determiners than articles.

It is also similar to the much stronger distinction between the words something and anything. The command "Do anything" expresses that all options are equally acceptable, whereas "Do something" expresses particularly that doing nothing is not acceptable.

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