Mixed Practice — One/Ones, Another, The Other, Others, Each Other — English Grammar Exercises
One or ones? Another or the other? Other or others? 60 exercises on substitution pronouns and the most confused words in English at B1–B2.
Mixed Practice: Choosing Between All Five Forms
Once each form is studied in isolation, the real challenge is discrimination in context — choosing among one/ones, another, the other/the others, other/others, and each other when multiple options seem plausible. Errors in mixed contexts tend to cluster around three pairs: another vs the other (open vs closed set), others vs the others (general vs specific group), and each other vs reflexive pronouns. At difficulty 3, exercises include text-correction tasks that require identifying two errors in a single passage — the most challenging format for discrimination training.
Decision Guide
Replacing a noun (plural): ones — 'Have you got cheaper ones?'
One more / a different (singular): another — 'Another cup, please.'
The remaining one of a pair: the other — 'One sister is in London; the other is in Paris.'
The remaining specific group: the others — 'Two left; the others stayed.'
Other/additional (before noun): other — 'Any other questions?'
Other people in general: others — 'Some like tea; others prefer coffee.'
Mutual action: each other — 'They help each other every day.'
Common Mistakes
✗ I'd like to see another colours. → ✓ other colours. (plural noun — not another)
✗ I want to try the another. → ✓ the others. ('the another' is impossible)
✗ My brother and I haven't spoken to ourselves since the argument. → ✓ each other. (mutual, not reflexive)
✗ The other studied hard but failed. (= the remaining students) → ✓ The others studied hard but failed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'another' and 'the other'?
'Another' means one more of an open set, or a different one: 'Can I have another cup of tea?' — there are many cups available. 'The other' refers to the remaining one of a closed, known set — typically a pair: 'I have two sisters. One lives in London; the other lives in Paris.' The key test: if the total number is fixed and you are pointing to the remaining item, use 'the other'. If you are adding one more from an unlimited supply, use 'another'.
When do you use 'one' vs 'ones' as a pronoun?
'One' replaces a singular countable noun to avoid repetition: 'I don't like this shirt — can I try the blue one?' (= the blue shirt). 'Ones' replaces a plural countable noun: 'I don't like these shoes — have you got cheaper ones?' (= cheaper shoes). Neither 'one' nor 'ones' can replace an uncountable noun — you cannot say 'I need water, have you got one?'
What is the difference between 'others' and 'the others'?
'Others' (without 'the') refers to other people or things in general — the group is open and unspecified: 'Some people prefer tea; others prefer coffee.' 'The others' (with 'the') refers to the remaining members of a specific, identifiable group: 'Three students passed. The others all failed.' The rule mirrors the general principle of the definite article: 'the' is used when both speaker and listener know exactly which ones are meant.
Can 'another' be used before a plural noun?
In standard use, 'another' is always singular — it cannot precede a plural noun directly: say 'other colours', not 'another colours'. There are two apparent exceptions: 'another few minutes' and 'another couple of days', where 'another' functions as a determiner for the entire noun phrase rather than the noun alone. Outside these fixed phrases, use 'other' before plural nouns.