anyone, anybody

anyone, anybody
These pronouns are singular forms and take singular verbs: "Is anyone going with me?" "Anybody is welcome to come." They may be used interchangeably in the sense of "any person," but formal speakers and writers prefer anyone to anybody, possibly because of sound or appearance. Anyone should be spelled as one word except when it singles out a particular or definite person or item: "He saw three plays that week and did not enjoy any one of them." Anybody should also be spelled as one word unless you are referring to an actual body: "A homicide was thought to have been committed, but the police could not discover any body."

Dictionary of problem words and expressions. . 1975.

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  • anyone - anybody — You use anyone or anybody to talk about people in general, or about each person of a particular kind. There is no difference in meaning between anyone and anybody. Anyone can miss a plane …   Useful english dictionary

  • anybody — See anyone. See anyone, anybody …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • anyone — See anyone, anybody …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • anybody's guess — Purely a matter for individual conjecture, impossible for anyone to know • • • Main Entry: ↑guess * * * I see guess II anybody s (or anyone s) guess very difficult or impossible to determine how well the system will work is anybody s guess * * * …   Useful english dictionary

  • anybody's/anyone's guess — ◇ Something that is anybody s/anyone s guess is something that is very uncertain or that no one knows. What causes these changes is anybody s guess. [=no one knows what causes these changes] It s anyone s guess what his next book will be about. • …   Useful english dictionary

  • anybody —  , anyone, anything, anyway, anywhere. Anything and anywhere are always one word. The others are normally one word except when the emphasis is on the second element (e.g., He received three job offers, but any one would have suited him ). Anybody …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Anybody — A ny*bod*y, n. 1. Any one out of an indefinite number of persons; anyone; any person. [1913 Webster] His Majesty could not keep any secret from anybody. Macaulay. [1913 Webster] 2. A person of consideration or standing. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • anybody — [n] one, some unspecified person or people all, any of, anyone, anyone at all, any person, a person, each and every one, everybody, everyone, masses, one, public, whole world; concept 417 …   New thesaurus

  • anyone — [n] one, some unspecified person all, anybody, anybody at all, any of, any person, a person, each and every one, everybody, everyone, masses, one, public, whole world; concept 417 …   New thesaurus

  • anybody — [ən′ēbäd΄ē, ən′ēbud΄ē] pron. any person; anyone n. pl. anybodies a person of some fame, importance, etc. [no one who was anybody missed the party] …   English World dictionary

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