The Other and The Others — The Remaining One(s) — 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.
The Other and The Others: Closed Sets and Remaining Items
The other and the others signal that the speaker is referring to the remaining item(s) of a closed, known set. The definite article 'the' is the grammatical marker of this specificity — both speaker and listener know exactly which one(s) are meant. The other refers to the remaining one of a pair; the others refers to the remaining members of a specific group of three or more. Learner corpus data shows that the most frequent error at B1 is replacing 'the other' with 'another' when the set contains exactly two items — for example, 'She has two jobs. One is well-paid, but another is not.' (should be 'the other').
The Other — Remaining One of a Pair
Here are two options. One is cheap; the other is more expensive.
I have two gloves but I can only find one. Where's the other?
The Others — Remaining Members of a Specific Group
I've read three of the books. I'll read the others during the holiday.
Five people came to the meeting. Two left early. The others stayed until the end.
Common Mistakes
✗ I have two gloves. Where's another? → ✓ the other. (specific missing glove of a pair)
✗ She has two jobs. One is well-paid, but another is not. → ✓ the other. (closed set of two)
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.