Basics. Negative Words: Nobody, Nothing, and Nowhere: correct answers
Jump to answers ↓What These Words Do
Nobody, nothing, and nowhere are negative words that replace a noun or place in a sentence. They already contain the meaning "not + any," so you don't need to add another negative element. Think of them as shortcuts:
- nobody = not anybody / no person
- nothing = not anything / no thing
- nowhere = not anywhere / no place
They work as subjects, objects, or adverbials, and they make the whole sentence negative on their own.
✅ Nobody answered the phone. ❌ Nobody didn't answer the phone.
That second sentence has two negatives — nobody and didn't — which cancel each other out in standard English. The sentence accidentally says that everybody answered the phone. This is the single biggest trap with these words.
Where They Sit in a Sentence
As a subject (very common), they take a singular verb:
✅ Nothing was left in the fridge. ❌ Nothing were left in the fridge.
Even though "nothing" might refer to many items, the verb is always singular — was, is, has, never were, are, have.
As an object, they come after the verb:
✅ I found nothing in my bag.
As an adverbial of place, nowhere works the same way:
✅ We had nowhere to go after the concert.
You can also put these words at the start for emphasis:
✅ Nowhere in this city will you find cheaper coffee.
Notice the inverted word order (will you, not you will) when nowhere opens a sentence like this. The same inversion happens with nobody and nothing in more formal or emphatic statements, but at B1–B2 level the subject-position use (Nobody knows, Nothing happened) is far more frequent.
Choosing Between "Nobody" and "Not Anybody"
Both forms are correct — the difference is mostly about style and position.
✅ Nobody called me yesterday. ✅ I didn't call anybody yesterday.
Use nobody / nothing / nowhere when the negative word is the subject — it sounds more natural than "Not anybody called me." Use not … anybody / anything / anywhere when the verb is already negative with don't / didn't / won't:
✅ She doesn't know anything about the project. ✅ She knows nothing about the project.
Both are fine. The version with nothing can sound slightly more forceful.
The Mistake That Keeps Coming Back
B1–B2 learners whose first language allows double negatives (Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic, among many others) consistently produce sentences like these:
❌ I don't have nothing to say. ✅ I have nothing to say. ✅ I don't have anything to say.
Pick one negative strategy per clause — either the negative word (nothing) or the negative verb + "any" form (don't have anything). Never both.
The same rule applies with never:
❌ Nobody never told me. ✅ Nobody ever told me. ✅ No one ever told me.
After nobody, nothing, or nowhere, use ever, not never, because the negative meaning is already there.
One more detail worth remembering: nobody and no one mean the same thing. No one is slightly more formal and is always written as two words (not noone). In everyday speech and writing, either works perfectly.
Correct answers
Question 1
Help the disappointed guest finish their text message.
The party was a complete disaster! I knocked on the door for ten minutes, but ___ answered.
The correct answer is nobody.
We use nobody to talk about an absence of people. Since the guest is waiting for a person to answer the door, "nobody" is the right choice! We don't use "anybody" here because the verb "answered" is positive; "anybody" would need a negative verb (like "didn't answer").
Question 2
The correct answers are Nobody is inside the spaceship. and There is nobody inside.
Nobody means "not anybody." It always acts as a singular subject, so we use the singular verb "is" (not "are").
In standard English, we only use one negative word per clause. Because "nobody" is already negative, we do not use "isn't" or "not" with it!
Question 3
Help Detective Clueless complete his rather disappointing crime scene report by dragging the correct words into the blanks.
The safe was completely empty, so I found nothing inside it.
The suspect ran away very fast, and now he is nowhere to be seen.
I knocked loudly on all the doors in the hallway, but sadly nobody answered.
The safe was completely empty, so I found nothing inside it.
Use nothing when you are talking about zero objects or things.
The suspect ran away very fast, and now he is nowhere to be seen.
Use nowhere when you are talking about zero places or locations.
I knocked loudly on all the doors in the hallway, but sadly nobody answered.
Use nobody when you are talking about zero people.
Question 4
The correct answers are nothing, nobody, and nowhere.
Use nothing for things you didn't buy.
Use nobody for the people who didn't answer.
Use nowhere for places you can't go.
Remember: Because nobody, nothing, and nowhere are already negative, the verbs in the sentence stay positive (e.g., "bought," "answered," "is").
Question 5
The correct answers are The treasure is nowhere on the map! and There is nowhere to go.
Nowhere means "not anywhere."
Just like nobody and nothing, nowhere already contains a negative meaning. You must pair it with a positive verb ("is") rather than a negative verb ("isn't") to avoid a double negative.
Question 6
Help the frantic driver complete their sentence.
I have searched the entire house for my car keys. I've looked under the sofa, in the kitchen, and even in the microwave, but they are ___ to be found!
The correct answer is nowhere.
We use nowhere to talk about an absence of places or locations. The phrase "nowhere to be found" is a common way to say that you cannot find an item in any location.
Question 7
Complete the alien explorer's travel log about a very boring visit to an Earth ghost town. Drag the correct negative words to finish the story.
We landed the ship in the town square, but there was nobody waiting to greet us.
We tried to buy souvenirs, but the dusty shops had nothing left on the shelves.
We wanted to hide our giant UFO from the rain, but there was nowhere big enough for it.
We landed the ship in the town square, but there was nobody waiting to greet us.
The aliens expected people to say hello, so we use nobody (no person).
We tried to buy souvenirs, but the dusty shops had nothing left on the shelves.
Souvenirs are objects, so we use nothing (no thing) to describe the empty shelves.
We wanted to hide our giant UFO from the rain, but there was nowhere big enough for it.
The UFO needs a location to park, so we use nowhere (no place).
Question 8
The correct answers are I have nothing to eat. and There is nothing in the fridge.
Nothing is a negative pronoun that means "not anything."
When you use a negative word like "nothing," the verb must be positive (like "have" or "is"). Saying "I don't have nothing" is called a double negative, which is incorrect in standard English grammar!
Question 9
Complete the hungry roommate's dramatic complaint.
I am absolutely starving! I opened the fridge hoping to find some leftover pizza, but there is ___ to eat.
The correct answer is nothing.
We use nothing to talk about an absence of things (like food). "Nobody" refers to people, and "nowhere" refers to places. "Anything" would only work if the verb was negative (e.g., "there isn't anything").
Question 10
The correct answers are nobody, nothing, and nowhere.
Nobody means "no person." (No person came through the door.)
Nothing means "no thing." (Not a single thing was inside the box.)
Nowhere means "in no place." (The ghost was not in any place.)
Notice that we use these negative words with positive verbs (e.g., "came," "was"). In English, we don't use two negative words together!