Somebody, someone, anybody, anyone

[calsworld]

When is it 'body' and when is it 'one'?

No particular reason - just don't like not knowing the answer.

Not forgetting of course, nobody and no-one...

I don't think there is a rule, is there? I don't know of one. I'd have said they were interchangeable.

Not got something to do with the degree of familarity with the body or one? Or the number of people included in the body or one?

should i be no ones fool then?

This says they're interchangeable, but to 'let your ear be your guide' as to what sounds best for a particular circumstance.

Very technical - lost me by about the third paragraph. The conclusion is that:

"it is evident that ?somebody? is more often found in highly transitive clauses involving physical action than is ?someone.? This is possibly due to the ?body? / ?one? division, with ?body? lending itself to physical actions more easily than the more existential ?one?. "

So there you go

i've been letting my ear be my guide. but i keep walking into things

And don't forget that Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits once had his name announced at an airport thus: "Would Mr No-one please come to the information desk?..."

is that a henry rollins observation UQD? he has a whole routine about airport announcements

Not sure - I think I heard it on Ken Bruce!

tefl teachers tell their students they are synonyms