- "Something" is a singular pronoun denoting an unspecified or unidentified object or matter without emphasizing individuality.
- "Some thing" is the incorrect variant of "something."
❌ During the beach cleanup, they found some thing peculiar tangled in the seaweed—a mysterious, colorful bottle with a handwritten message inside, leaving them eager to unravel the story behind this unexpected discovery.
In the given sentence, "something" refers to an unspecified and unidentified object discovered during the beach cleanup. It adds a sense of mystery and intrigue to the narrative, emphasizing the curiosity and anticipation of those who found the peculiar item.
Something
Part of Speech: Pronoun, noun, adverb
Definition:
Pronoun: An unspecified or unknown object, person, or event. Used to refer to something without being specific about its identity or nature.
- Example: "I need something to write with." (Here, "something" refers to an unspecified writing tool.)
- Noun: An unspecified or unknown thing. Used to indicate the existence of something, even if its details are unknown.
- Example: "There's something strange about this place." (Here, "something" refers to an unidentified thing that is causing a feeling of strangeness.)
Adverb: To some extent; somewhat; in a way that cannot be precisely defined.
- Example: "The movie was something of a disappointment." (Here, "something" modifies the adjective "disappointment" to suggest a moderate level of dissatisfaction.)
Additional Information:
- "Something" is a highly versatile word that can be used in a wide variety of contexts.
- It can be used to introduce new information, ask questions, or make vague statements.
- The specific meaning of "something" often depends on the context in which it is used.
Etymology:
- The word "something" is derived from the Middle English phrase "som thing," which literally means "a certain thing."
Examining the graph below, we can see that "something" was used more frequently than "some thing," especilly after the 1980s.
How do we pronounce something?
In American English, "something" is pronounced SUM-thing.
In British English, "something" is pronounced SUM-thing.
These are just the standard pronunciations, and there may be slight variations depending on regional accents and individual speech patterns.
🖊️ Sometime vs. Some time
🖊️ “It’s good thing” or “It’s a good thing”
Why does the misspelling of something as some thing occur?
The misspelling of "something" as "some thing" can occur for several reasons, including:
1. Lack of Awareness of Compound Words: Not everyone is familiar with the rule that some common words like "something" are written as single words, not two separate words. This is especially true for young children or individuals who haven't received formal grammar education.
2. Analogical Misapplication: Some people might mistakenly apply the rule of separating compound words to cases where it doesn't apply. For instance, if they know "ice cream" and "water balloon" are written with spaces, they might incorrectly assume "something" should be written the same way.
3. Typographical Errors: Simple typos can also be a culprit. Typing "space" accidentally before "thing" is a quick and easy mistake to make, especially when typing quickly or without careful proofreading.
Common misspellings of something may include:
- somthing
- sumthing
- someting
- sometrhing
- somethign
Example sentences for the misuse of the word something as some thing
- "Some thing" is incorrect; it should be written as "something" without a space, to convey the idea of an unspecified item or object.
- The misspelling "some thing" separates the two words, altering the correct usage of "something" as a single word.
- When expressing an unidentified entity, the correct spelling is "something," not the mistaken form "some thing."
- Ensure accuracy in your writing by avoiding the common error of writing "some thing" when the proper usage is the single word "something."
- The misspelling "some thing" introduces an unnecessary space, compromising the correct spelling and clarity of the term "something" in written communication.
Example sentences for something
- I feel like there's something in my pocket, but I can't quite figure out what it is.
- There's something mysterious about the old house at the end of the street.
- Could you please bring me something to drink? Water would be fine.
- After searching for hours, she finally found something interesting to read.
- I thought I heard something outside, but when I looked, there was nothing there.
Synonyms of something
- Thing
- Object
- Item
- Entity
- Article
- Element
- Substance
- Matter
- Notion
- Concept
Want to sound like a native speaker?
Engram’s AI-powered grammar checker makes your English sound like a native speaker’s, suggesting natural English expressions on top of fixing grammar, spelling, punctuation, word order, and vocabulary.
References:
Share Article
