Everyone and everybody. the same thing?

Question

Hi,My girlfriend and I are entangled in a discussion of English usage. She is a teacher with a Dr. degree, extremely well read person, who has written books on education. I have been "very close to natively" exposed to three languages, including English.I double-checked with the online dix I could, and this is what they say. I also spent some time checking alt.usage.english and read stats like:"The two pronouns are synomous and I'm not sure there is even a shade of distinction between the two."I would disagree, strictly speaking, if you check the associative fields of both 'synonyms' all the way through to a distinctive degree, you will find the differences. I would even intuitively say that there is indeed a difference between everyone and everybody. Now, tell me if I am wrong.// - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -'everyone' means more like individual/particular attention, whereas 'everybody' means more like a general oneI love everyone. (It would mean more like 'every one of you'). Grandma said after listening her grandchildren sparring for her portion/amount of love/attention. (She wouldn't say, I love everybody)Santa brought presents for everyone.Santa brought presents for 'everybody', might mean he brought the same toy for all.We brought a cake for everybody.They brought one cake for everybody to eat from (maybe some people will not), or the same kind of gift for them all, e.g., two pencils.The boss will check everybody's workThe boss will NOT check everyone's work. For example if a number of people are working 'a la factory model' on a factory line he just goes to the person at the start and at the end of it, he wouldn't check the workers in between, or if he doesn't doubt the technical abilities of some workers he would not check their work . . .

Usenet · Accepted Answer

(on the question of distinction between "everyone" and "everybody")

From the viewpoint of this native American English speaker, here are my comments:
[nq:1]'everyone' means more like individual/particular attention, whereas 'everybody' means more like a general one I love everyone. (It would mean ... : Grandma said after listening her grandchildren sparring for : her portion/amount of love/attention. (She wouldn't say, I love everybody)[/nq]
In my opinion, she would say "I love every one" to mean "each of them". If she did say "I love everyone" it would mean the same as "I love everybody" to me.
[nq:1]Santa brought presents for everyone. : Santa brought presents for 'everybody', ~~might~~ mean he : brought the same toy for all.[/nq]
In that case, I'd use either word and expect that each individual received a gift.
In this case and the next there is an element of ambiguity, as you suggest. Supposing that Santa brought two gifts for a household of five people, the sentence as given could be used, but without a contextual explanation it seems less likely.
[nq:1]We brought a cake for everybody. : They brought one cake for everybody to eat from (maybe some : people will not), or the same kind of gift for them all, e.g., two pencils.[/nq]
Here I would presume that "we" brought one cake, to be shared by all present, whether "everyone" or "everybody" was used.

The words themselves exist in a context that sets up expectations. It would not be impossible that "we" brought one cake for each individual, but because that would not be the default expectation, it would more likely be expressed as something like "we brought cakes for everybody."
[nq:1]The boss will check everybody's work : The boss will NOT check everyone's work. For example if a : number ... or if he doesn't doubt the technical abilities of some workers he would not check their work . . .[/nq]
In my view, if the boss is not examining each individual's case, there would be no reason to say "the boss will check everybody's work." The quoted phrase, to me, would mean that such detailed examination was in fact going to take place.

rzed

Usenet · Answer

I agree with that. But there's a difference in the way they sound: that's what I consider when choosing one or the other.
[nq:1]'everyone' means more like individual/particular attention, whereas 'everybody' means more like a general one[/nq]
That distinction only applies to "every one", in my opinion - not to "everyone", as you are suggesting.
Peasemarch.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1](on the question of distinction between "everyone" and "everybody")[/nq]
Australian-born-and-bred user of "Mandarin"-style British English:

I understand that you would use the two words with a subtle difference in your own written style, and I would support you in that. It would be wrong, however, to let you think that the distinction would "work" communicatively, as people would probably not notice that you were making it. For all ordinary purposes, there's no difference (but, if this isn't self-contradiction, I fancy you may perhaps not be out of tune with what people actually say). If you become known for a body of work, especially in poetry or drama, or very finely-wrought prose, that might change; but only in terms of your own work, and that of your imitators.
(Of course, don't be intimidated by doctorates just for their own sake: to get one, you usually have to have dealt very competently with an awful lot of text, and previously have shown serious aptitude; but the field is often narrow, so what we've learned as undergraduates and "on the side" may actually be what provides the killer punch in argument. Some D.Phils write vile English, too.)
For what it's worth, I rarely use "every/some/anyone", and then maybe informally; but somewhere else in this Group I've doubted the significance of this habit. (And I spell "no one" like that, as two words, without hyphening.) Stick to your guns and your feeling, but don't expect everybody else to conform or even accept: there really isn't a warrant for it.
Mike.

Usenet · Answer

OK.

Somebody, please!
To be mildly reprimanded, by another guy that seemed to be the shift manager. He cried after her:
Someone, please!
and looked at her in a (friendly and) bossy way.
I could tell (by her look and acting) the English of the person that said "Somebody, please!" was learned even though it did not sound with an accent whatsoever.
I think, he meant. 'You mean "Someone", that is the "next person (one) in the line"'
When you acquire a number of languages, funny things happen to you. You, sometimes even unconsciously relate them and would swear that there is a noun for 'this and that' or that this adjective means or covers this meaning to have knowledgeable people give you puzzled and inquiring looks.
Even though I was exposed to English first, I reached a greater level of proficiency in German. Language that is way more purposeful with its pronouns. Maybe, 'someone' and 'somebody' just don't sound the same to 'my ears/understanding' :-) or probably I am 'noticing' too much stuff out there ;-)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]From the viewpoint of this native American English speaker, here are my comments: In my view, if the boss is ... everybody's work." The quoted phrase, to me, would mean that such detailed examination was in fact going to take place.[/nq]
"The boss will check everybody's work."
and 'expectations' are ~~always~~ part of 'communication'.

Now, who the **** expects 'the boss' to actually be knowledgeable enough to know about the work of a multidisciplinary team? I know of companies that hire different kinds of bosses, e.g, ?business' and ?technical' ones. Many companies have in fact bypassed simply considering a boss some ?senior company (wo)man'
Bosses (generalizing I am) are just 'bean counters' and in that sense they "check everybody's work" as an end result/product of the whole process kind of thing. Most of them do not even have the technical expertise to ?check everyone's work'
Perhaps the subtle difference there might exist, do not even warrant so much talk. Nonetheless it is still interesting to me.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Somebody, please! To be mildly reprimanded, by another guy that seemed to be the shift manager. He cried after her: ... with an accent whatsoever. I think, he meant. 'You mean "Someone", that is the "next person (one) in the line"'[/nq]
Both persons must be foreigners. The usual announcement is: "Next, please!"

"Somebody" or "someone" just doesn't hack it. It sounds like a cry for help.

Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"Somebody" or "someone" just doesn't hack it. It sounds like a cry for help.[/nq]
I can imagine it being done for comic effect. Somebody? anybody? anybody? anyone at all? etc. etc.
Which is interesting - perhaps there is a more marked difference between "anybody" and "anyone".
"Anybody at all", in particular, seems a little clumsy...however interestingly, going by Google, 'anyone' is at least 6 times more common than 'anybody' in general. Adding the "at all" doesn't change this ratio significantly.
So maybe it's just me.
Actually, turns out the ratio between "someone" and "somebody" is the same too.
The only phrase I can think of where 'somebody' is significantly more common is "Somebody stop me!".
"Somebody to love" also slightly outgoogles "Someone to love", but that's hardly surprising.
Not sure if this means anything but "Tell someone" : "Tell somebody" is ~36:1. In contrast "Love someone" : "Love somebody" is only 2:1, although so many of the hits for both are song lyrics that's hard to gain any useful insight from this.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]"Somebody" or "someone" just doesn't hack it. It sounds like a cry for help.[/nq]
[nq:1]I can imagine it being done for comic effect. Somebody? anybody? anybody? anyone at all? etc. etc. Which is interesting ... although so many of the hits for both are song lyrics that's hard to gain any useful insight from this.[/nq]
I was commenting within the context (which you snipped).
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/

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Albretch daybed:
[nq:1]Somebody, please![/nq]
He was just a lonely boy.

Peter Moylan peter at ee dot newcastle dot edu dot au http://eepjm.newcastle.edu.au (OS/2 and eCS information and software)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Albretch daybed:[/nq]
[nq:2]Somebody, please![/nq]
[nq:1]He was just a lonely boy.[/nq]
A pathetic wretch pleading in the darkness for the touch of a hand.

Everyone and everybody. the same thing?

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