There are also a few indefinite pronouns: somebody, someone, something, anybody, anyone, anything, nobody, no-one, nothing. These are pronouns since they fulfil the same functions as nouns—or rather, as noun phrases— in sentences. This is illustrated in the following examples: Somebody has taken my place The vice-chairman has taken my place I have just seen something I have just seen a frightening event To this list of indefinite pronouns we should probably add the word one, which occurs twice in: One wonders what one ought to do. The difference between someone and one is that someone is usually taken to mean a single unspecified person, while one means any one of people in general including, or perhaps principally, the speaker himself. This use of the word one should not be confused with other uses. One is also used as a numeral, contrasting with two, three, four, etc. and with the other(s): e.g. We saw one house; the others were all shut up. But there is also a third use of one which really is a substitute for a noun (rather than for a noun phrase). It acts as the head of a noun phrase and has modifiers, and can also be inflected for plural number. Here are some examples: I have bought a new one (cf. I have a bought a new typewriter) This one is too hot (cf. This pie is too hot) Have you any free ones? (cf. Have you any free tickets?) Some valuable ones have been stolen (cf. Some valuable paintings have been stolen) Here one is acting as a substitute for countable nouns. It cannot substitute for uncountables; so it would not be possible to say This porridge is too hot; have you got some cool one? (cf. Have you
got some that is cool?) (Exercise 26 is on p. 35.)