Can I use the verb do with Nobody?

Question

My friend told us in a group conversation that "Don't take me wrong guys". While replying to this, is the use of the sentence "Nobody do" is correct in this reference? I know that "Nobody" is an indefinite pronoun and is used as a singular notation but here in the reply "Nobody do" I am referring to a plural action of everyone's doing.

Answer 1

Indefinite pronouns can be tricky. Nobody, anybody, somebody, and everybody (and their -one, -thing and -where counterparts, and a few others) are generally treated as singular, even if they refer to something obviously plural.

In America, where two-thirds of the population believe that everyone has an equal chance to get ahead, far fewer people favour income redistribution than in Europe. _{^{(“Meritocracy and its discontents,” The Economist, Oct. 5, 2006)}}

Everybody is chatting: Three women are exchanging tips about throwing a product-launch event. Two twentysomethings are discussing a tricky coding problem over a ping-pong match. _{^{Segran, Elizabeth, “As Coworking Spaces Scale, Can They Keep Their Communal Vibe?” The Atlantic, Feb. 27, 2015}}

Other indefinite pronouns, like all or some, may be singular or plural depending on the context.

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Don't take me wrong, guys would not be idiomatic in American English, though it seems to be used in Indian English. The usual AmE formulation to urge against misunderstanding would be Don't get me wrong, guys or Don't take me/this the wrong way, guys, with the latter a frequent cliché employed before delivering something disheartening or disappointing to the listener like a criticism.

Regardless, if you want to indicate that the sentiment is universally disavowed by the group, you could respond

• Nobody does
• No one does
• None of us does
• None of us do