Else

Else with someone, anybody, nobody, etc

We use else after words beginning with any-, every-, no- and some-, to mean ‘other’, ‘another’, ‘different’ or ‘additional’.

This group of words includes:

anybody	everybody	nobody	somebody
anyone	everyone	no one	somewhere
anywhere	everywhere	nowhere	someone

[in a shop; A is the shop assistant, B is the customer]

A: Will there be anything else, sir? (Do you want any additional thing(s)?)

B: No thanks, that’s it for now.

I was the only one who knew any German. No one else had ever done it at school. (No other person had ever learnt it.)

[outside a restaurant]

It looks really busy in there. Let’s go somewhere else. (Let’s go to a different place.)

This must be someone else’s coat. It’s not mine.

Else with who, what, where, etc

We use else after how, what, where, who and why to mean ‘other’, ‘another’, ‘different’ or ‘additional’:

• What else do you need apart from new shoes? (What other things do you need apart from new shoes?)
• We’ve invited Jean and Richard. Who else should we invite? (What other person or people should we invite?)
• Where else have you worked, apart from the airport? (What other place(s) have you worked at?)

We don’t use else after which:

• Which other one do you want apart from this blue shirt?
• Not: Which else do you want …?

Else: or else

We use or else to say what the result will be if something does not happen:

• I’ll have to leave now, or else I’ll miss my train. (If I don’t leave now, I’ll miss my train.)