someone and somebody are pronouns that basically refer to a person who is unknown and is not specified. They can be used interchangeably in the sentences but yes, there are subtle changes that will make the difference. It is the difference that most native English speakers can find. Someone is considered more formal than somebody. To understand the context lets see the example.
Example: The organization requires that the deed should be signed by someone who is authorized to sign by the court.
It might seem interesting to you that someone, as considered formal, is used for often than somebody.
Someone and Somebody are just like synonyms, they can be used by replacing each other. In-case of synonyms, we do not have to think about using the same words repetitively to convey the message. We have the flexibility to add variety to the sentences and make it sound more interesting.
When to Use Someone in Sentences
We are already familiar with the definition of Someone, a pronoun used when you are addressing an unknown/ unspecified person.
Following are some examples of someone in sentences:
- “Someone gave me the poisoned water bottle!” Tom yelled several times.
- “We always need someone to watch the back staircase in case the wizards come up from that way,” said Elena.
- Someone is looking at you.
- Who is that someone ?
- Is someone behind you ?
- I know someone who is good at math.
- I want someone to help me.
As we saw in the above example that, Someone is generally considered more appropriate for formal writing such as college application, essays or work emails with your boss. Yes, it is also a fact that it would not be considered as an offense to use somebody.
When to Use Somebody in Sentences
The meaning and definition of ‘Somebody’ and ‘Someone’ remains the same. It can also be used in the same context that will not change the context of the paragraph.
- “Somebody gave me the poisoned water bottle!” Tom yelled several times.
- “We always need somebody to watch the back staircase in case the wizards come up from that way,” said Elena.
Now, we can see that the meaning has not changed but the words have. But again, as mentioned above, someone is generally the preferred pronoun for formal writing.
I hope this article is good enough to establish the difference between these two words. And you will be able to make a correct choice of word while writing.