Something is an indefinite pronoun referring to an unspecified or unknown thing. Informally, it also acts as a noun meaning a person or thing of significance, and as an adverb meaning rather or to some extent.
What Does Something Mean?
Something descends from Old English sum þing — literally "a certain thing" — combining sum (some, a particular one) and þing (thing, matter). By Middle English the two words had merged into one. The Germanic root þing also appears in German Ding and Old Norse þing, originally meaning a formal assembly before it narrowed to mean any object or matter.
In modern British English, something serves three overlapping functions. As a pronoun it stands in for an unnamed or unknown object: "I left something on the bus." As an informal noun it suggests significance or special quality: "There is definitely something about this place." As an adverb it modifies an adjective or another adverb to mean somewhat or approximately: "It was something over an hour."
Understanding when to choose something over its companions anything, nothing, and everything is one of the most practically useful grammar points for intermediate learners. The key rule: use something in affirmative sentences and in questions where the speaker expects or hopes for a positive response.
There is something unusual about the word order in that sentence. — This example from the prompt illustrates the pronoun use perfectly: something stands for a specific but unnamed quality, followed by an adjective complement and a prepositional phrase giving more detail.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| I want something to eat — I am very hungry. | A2 — pronoun as object, followed by infinitive of purpose |
| She heard something strange in the garden last night. | B1 — pronoun modified by an adjective, narrative context |
| There is something unusual about the word order in that sentence. | B1 — existential there is + something + adjective complement |
| The new exhibition is really something — I have never seen anything quite like it. | B2 — informal noun use expressing admiration; contrast with anything |
| His reluctance to comment said something rather profound about the organisation's culture. | C1 — abstract pronoun as subject; formal register with adverb modifier |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| do something | We need to do something about this problem. |
| say something | He wanted to say something, but the words did not come. |
| mean something | Does this symbol mean something to you? |
| something of a | She is something of an expert on medieval history. |
| something like | The journey took something like three hours. |
| have something to do with | The delay had something to do with the weather. |
| onto something | I think the research team is really onto something. |
| make something of | She was determined to make something of her career. |
| something to offer | Every student has something to offer the class. |
| there is something about | There is something about early mornings that I love. |
Usage Notes
Key Patterns to Remember
- Affirmative sentences: Use something — "I found something interesting." Not "I found anything interesting."
- Questions expecting "yes": Use something — "Can I get you something to drink?" (offering) vs "Did you find anything?" (neutral inquiry).
- Negative sentences: Use nothing (positive verb) or anything (negative verb): "There is nothing here." / "I cannot find anything."
- Adjective position: Adjectives follow something, not precede it: "something interesting", never "interesting something".
- Adverb use: Something meaning approximately or somewhat is informal and more common in spoken British English: "It was something after midnight."
- Compound nouns: Something appears in compounds such as something-or-other (vague reference) in informal speech.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
I do not have something to say about it.
I do not have anything to say about it. (use anything, not something, after a negative verb)
She told me an interesting something.
She told me something interesting. (adjectives follow something)
Do you want some thing to eat?
Do you want something to eat? (something is always one word)
There was nothing strange, but I saw something strange too.
There was nothing strange, but I did notice something odd. (avoid contradicting nothing with something in the same breath — restructure for clarity)