One and Ones — Substitution Pronouns
Practice using 'one' to replace a singular noun and 'ones' to replace a plural noun. Fill-blank, multiple-choice, error-correction and transformation exercises at difficulty 1–2.
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I need a new phone — this ___ is broken.
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one
Use 'one' to replace a singular countable noun — 'this one' (phone).
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Which shoes do you want? — The blue ___.
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ones
Use 'ones' to replace a plural countable noun — 'the blue ones' (shoes).
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I don't like this jacket. Have you got a smaller ___?
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one
'A smaller one' replaces a singular noun (jacket).
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These cups are dirty. Please use those clean ___.
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ones
'Those clean ones' replaces a plural noun (cups).
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Don't take those old apples — take the fresh ___.
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ones
'The fresh ones' replaces a plural noun (apples).
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I don't want the small plates. Pass me the big ___.
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ones
'The big ones' replaces a plural noun (plates).
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These gloves are too big. Do you have any smaller ___?
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ones
'Ones' replaces a plural noun (gloves).
One and Ones: Replacing Nouns to Avoid Repetition
English uses one (singular) and ones (plural) as substitution pronouns to avoid repeating a countable noun. This system is learnt at A2 but continues to produce errors at B1–B2, particularly with plural forms and in contexts where the pronoun must follow a determiner. Analysis of intermediate learner corpora shows that the single most frequent error is using 'one' where 'ones' is required — typically when the antecedent noun is plural but the learner treats the entire noun phrase as a single unit: 'Do you have cheaper one?' instead of 'cheaper ones'.
When to Use 'One'
Use one to replace a singular countable noun. It typically follows a determiner (the, this, that, a) or an adjective.
This chair is broken. Let's use the one by the window. (one = chair)
I need a pen. Have you got one? (one = a pen, indefinite)
When to Use 'Ones'
Use ones to replace a plural countable noun. It most commonly follows an adjective or a determiner such as 'which', 'these', 'those'.
This hotel is expensive. Are there any cheaper ones? (ones = hotels)
Which cookies would you like? The chocolate ones, please.
What 'One/Ones' Cannot Replace
Neither 'one' nor 'ones' can replace uncountable nouns (water, information, luggage) or proper nouns. In those cases, repeat the noun or use a pronoun such as 'it' or 'some'.
Common Mistakes
✗ Which jacket do you want? I'll take the black ones. → ✓ the black one. (jacket is singular)
Last updated: · Satori Editorial