Determiners

Extended uses and patterns

  • Some of / any of / none of + determiner/pronoun
    • Some of the students passed.
    • I don’t know any of them.
    • None of my friends agreed.
  • Somebody/someone / anybody/anyone / nobody/no one — pronoun forms with similar rules
    • Someone left their bag.
    • I didn’t see anybody.
    • Nobody arrived on time.
  • After negative words or in conditional contexts, use any (not some).
    • If you need any help, call me.
    • I hardly have any money.


Combined and transitional patterns

Mixing determiners: Some of the [noun], both of the [noun], neither of [noun or noun phrase]

Examples:
Some of the cookies are gone.
Both of my sisters live abroad.
Neither of the phones works.

Emphasis with pronouns: “Both of them” is common; “both they” is incorrect.

9. Quick reference

Some: positive/offer/request;
Any: questions/negatives n
No: strong negative.
Each: individual members (one-by-one)
Every: all members (general)
Both: the two together (plural) Neither: not one and not the other (singular agreement).