Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[yoshi-pooh]

Hi, teachers!

Please look at the sentences below.

A: "I don't want to be nobody. I want to be somebody."
B: "I don't want to be a nobody. I want to be a somebody."

Which one would you say when you'd like to be successful in the real world?

Thank you!

yoshi-pooh

[Mister Micawber]

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Both are fine for expressing that sentiment, though I would probably choose the one with articles myself-- it is clearer.
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_________________
"I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
...............
Canadian-American who teaches English for a living at Mr Micawber's

[yoshi-pooh]

Hi, everyone!

Mister Micawber, thanks for your reply.

Let me ask one more thing about this. When you make a plural form of "somebody" or "nobody" in this meaning, how would you do that?

Do you say, "We don't wanna be nobodis. We wanna be somebodies", or in a different way?


Thank you!

[Mister Micawber]

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It is not good English to use 'wanna' unless you are making a transcription of the spoken language.

We don't want to be nobodies. We want to be somebodies. -- This is fine.
.
_________________
"I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
...............
Canadian-American who teaches English for a living at Mr Micawber's

[yoshi-pooh]

Mister Micawber, thanks for your reply.

yoshi-pooh