English guide
Practise everyone, something, anyone and related forms in 20 original workplace sentences with explanations for all four options.
English AIdol · Published · Updated
Prepared with AI assistance and published by English AIdol. No human expert review is claimed.
What this guide covers
Compare the explanations and original examples.
Keep the sentence unchanged and justify one option.
Use the distinction in a new workplace sentence.
An indefinite pronoun refers to a person or thing without naming it exactly. Everyone may refer to many people, but it takes a singular verb. In a later reference to a person, singular they can be entirely standard.
Read both the meaning and the structure. Some questions concern whether a person or object is meant; others concern agreement or the position of an adjective. Some and any are not a simple positive-versus-negative switch: offers, requests and free-choice meanings depend on context.
These original exercises were prepared by English AIdol with AI assistance. A separate AI content review checked every question, answer explanation and teaching section. No human expert or examiner review, ETS endorsement, or calibrated difficulty is claimed. This page does not save answers or estimate an official score.
Part 5 asks you to complete sentences by choosing from four options. The full TOEIC Reading section has 100 questions and a 75-minute limit. This untimed topic lesson is not a complete or equated test. See ETS: About the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test and the ETS: TOEIC Listening & Reading Score User Guide.
Everyone, somebody, nobody and everything take singular agreement in ordinary declarative sentences. The number of people imagined does not change everyone has to everyone have.
Forms ending in -one and -body refer to people; -thing refers to things. Somewhere, anywhere and nowhere refer to places. Read the role of the gap instead of choosing only from the first syllable.
An adjective normally follows something or anything. Else also follows an indefinite pronoun, and the possessive ending comes after else when that whole expression marks ownership.
In standard written English, nobody and nothing already make their clause negative. A negative verb commonly combines with anybody or anything. They can later refer to an unspecified person without changing the earlier singular agreement.
Everyone in the workshop ___ received a safety briefing.
has
The head of the subject is everyone. In the workshop does not change its singular agreement, so has received is the correct perfect phrase.
Choose the option that completes the printed sentence in standard written English. Keep every other word unchanged. Write your choice and a reason before opening the explanation.
Everyone on the delivery team ___ required to wear a visible identification badge.
(A) are
(B) were
(C) be
(D) is
Answer: (D) is
Completed sentence: Everyone on the delivery team is required to wear a visible identification badge.
Somebody in the accounts office ___ already checked the total.
(A) have
(B) has
(C) having
(D) are
Answer: (B) has
Completed sentence: Somebody in the accounts office has already checked the total.
Nothing in the revised proposal ___ the delivery deadline.
(A) change
(B) changing
(C) changes
(D) are changing
Answer: (C) changes
Completed sentence: Nothing in the revised proposal changes the delivery deadline.
The exhibition team needs ___ to display beside the entrance.
(A) something colourful
(B) colourful something
(C) some colourful
(D) something colourfully
Answer: (A) something colourful
Completed sentence: The exhibition team needs something colourful to display beside the entrance.
If this cable is damaged, choose ___ from the spare-parts drawer.
(A) something else
(B) else something
(C) something another
(D) some else
Answer: (A) something else
Completed sentence: If this cable is damaged, choose something else from the spare-parts drawer.
The sealed room was empty; there was ___ inside.
(A) everybody
(B) somebody
(C) nobody
(D) anybody
Answer: (C) nobody
Completed sentence: The sealed room was empty; there was nobody inside.
The damaged parcel contains ___ fragile, so please handle it carefully.
(A) someone
(B) something
(C) somewhere
(D) somehow
Answer: (B) something
Completed sentence: The damaged parcel contains something fragile, so please handle it carefully.
Please leave the spare key ___ safe until the caretaker returns.
(A) someone
(B) somehow
(C) something
(D) somewhere
Answer: (D) somewhere
Completed sentence: Please leave the spare key somewhere safe until the caretaker returns.
Everybody at the induction ___ a copy of the evacuation map.
(A) receive
(B) receiving
(C) receives
(D) have received
Answer: (C) receives
Completed sentence: Everybody at the induction receives a copy of the evacuation map.
There is ___ about the revised booking procedure; the steps are unchanged.
(A) nothing new
(B) new nothing
(C) nothing newly
(D) no new
Answer: (A) nothing new
Completed sentence: There is nothing new about the revised booking procedure; the steps are unchanged.
Every entry appeared normal: the analyst did not find ___ unusual in the transaction log.
(A) nothing
(B) any
(C) anythings
(D) anything
Answer: (D) anything
Completed sentence: Every entry appeared normal: the analyst did not find anything unusual in the transaction log.
This is not my equipment case; it must be ___ case.
(A) someone’s else
(B) someone else’s
(C) else someone’s
(D) someone else
Answer: (B) someone else’s
Completed sentence: This is not my equipment case; it must be someone else’s case.
Nobody ___ allowed to enter the test chamber during calibration.
(A) are
(B) is
(C) were
(D) being
Answer: (B) is
Completed sentence: Nobody is allowed to enter the test chamber during calibration.
We need ___ who can translate the visitor’s question into Spanish.
(A) something
(B) somewhere
(C) somehow
(D) someone
Answer: (D) someone
Completed sentence: We need someone who can translate the visitor’s question into Spanish.
Not one person volunteered for the extra shift: ___ offered to stay.
(A) nobody
(B) everybody
(C) somebody
(D) anybody
Answer: (A) nobody
Completed sentence: Not one person volunteered for the extra shift: nobody offered to stay.
Everything needed for the demonstration ___ been packed in these two cases.
(A) have
(B) are
(C) has
(D) having
Answer: (C) has
Completed sentence: Everything needed for the demonstration has been packed in these two cases.
Before the supplier call, check whether there is ___ to discuss.
(A) anything else
(B) else anything
(C) any else
(D) anything another
Answer: (A) anything else
Completed sentence: Before the supplier call, check whether there is anything else to discuss.
The invitation is open to ___ who works in the building, regardless of department.
(A) anything
(B) anywhere
(C) anyone
(D) anyhow
Answer: (C) anyone
Completed sentence: The invitation is open to anyone who works in the building, regardless of department.
If someone leaves their umbrella at reception, please return it to ___ when they come back.
(A) they
(B) them
(C) their
(D) themselves
Answer: (B) them
Completed sentence: If someone leaves their umbrella at reception, please return it to them when they come back.
No one in either department ___ the password to an unauthorised caller.
(A) disclose
(B) disclosing
(C) have disclosed
(D) discloses
Answer: (D) discloses
Completed sentence: No one in either department discloses the password to an unauthorised caller.
Explain the distinction in your own words, then try these tasks without copying a practice sentence. The answers illustrate possible responses; alternatives may work where the task allows them.
Correct agreement: “Everyone have brought their badge.”
Everyone has brought their badge.
Has agrees with everyone. Their can remain as a standard reference to an unspecified person.
Correct the word order: “We need reliable something.”
We need something reliable.
The descriptive adjective follows the indefinite pronoun.
Rewrite “We did not see anybody in the storeroom” using nobody.
We saw nobody in the storeroom.
Nobody carries the negative meaning, so the rewritten verb is affirmative.
Sources checked on . The examples, questions and explanations are original teaching material, not official or recalled test items. This correction replaces the earlier lesson’s inappropriate IELTS-style scoring. An answer count on these exercises does not convert to an official TOEIC score.
Continue with the TOEIC study page. For a factual correction, see our editorial policy.
Everyone takes singular verb agreement. They and their can refer back to an unspecified person, so the later pronoun does not require everyone have.
No. Some is possible in questions, including offers or requests expecting a positive response. Read the intended meaning rather than treating punctuation as the rule.
They can express the same absence with different structures: Nobody called and I did not hear anybody. Avoid adding an unnecessary second negative when writing a standard negative statement.
No. These original, untimed teaching questions have not been equated to an ETS form. Use them to explain and practise a language pattern, not to calculate an official score.