Somebody or anybody, something or anything

ByZdenda 05/11/2015

Do your students struggle with the words somebody, anybody, something, anything, everything, everybody, nothing and nobody? Do they get these basic words wrong nearly every time? If your answer is yes, then this post is just for you.
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[showmyads] In this post I would like to share with you several tools to help your students use the words somebody, anybody, something, anything, everything, everybody, nothing and nobody correctly. In this post you will find an infographic and two games. I hope you will like it.

Table of Contents

Somebody or anybody, something or anything – infographic

Display or print the following infographic and ask the students to read through it. Then elicit what they learnt. If you feel that they did not get the message, explain the grammar using either their MT or your own words.

Mention please, that the word BODY, could be replace with ONE and the meaning will be the same. Emphasize the spelling of NO ONE (two words instead of one).

Somebody or anybody, something or anything – games

To practise the usage of the words somebody, anybody, something, anything, everything, everybody, nothing and nobody your students can play the following game. Its name is En Garde. Your task is to choose the correct answer and then stop the target as close to the centre as possible. Hopefully, you will be faster and more accurate then your opponent. The game is in Flash and will play only on desktops:

En Garde game ADVERT:
[showmyadsa] The second game is in Flash and will play only on desktop computers. It is called On Target, and your task is to choose the correct option and then shoot all the bad cows and ducks. You can shoot one of the bottles on the wall to get a bonus. Enjoy.

Gerund or infinitive – On target game

Somebody or anybody, something or anything – What more?

I realize that the post is rather short. What do you think would be the best activity to add?

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8 Comments

Rafaela says:

24/05/2016 at 3:52 am

Hello, You’ve done a great work on your website. How can I have this infographic about somebody, anybody etc.? I’ve saved the image, but isn’t so good.
Zdenda says:

25/05/2016 at 3:02 am

What do you mean? Do you mean that the image quality is not good enough? I could send you the image with more details.
Rafaela says:

25/05/2016 at 11:18 pm

Yes, you’re right, I meant this. If it’s not too much to ask, I would appreciate it if you could send the image to my email.
Zdenda says:

04/06/2016 at 3:25 am

Sorry, it took some time, but it has been sent.
Rafaela says:

10/06/2016 at 1:21 pm

No problem. Thank you!
Mehrnaz says:

20/12/2016 at 12:24 pm

It was a great info but It is focusing on accuracy what I’m wondering is to how make my students to use them inductively through the engagement?
Zdenda says:

30/12/2016 at 1:11 pm

That is an interesting question. I am afraid, I cannot answer it.
Emy Varga says:

19/10/2017 at 12:56 pm

I have the same problem