OTHER(S), THE OTHER, ANOTHER

OTHER(S) Other means ‘additional or extra’, or ‘alternative’, or ‘different types of’.

Other as a determiner We can use other with singular uncountable nouns and with plural nouns: The embassy website has general information about visas. Other travel information can be obtained by calling the freephone number. (additional or extra information) Some music calms people; other music has the opposite effect. (different types of music) This one’s too big. Do you have it in other sizes? (alternative sizes)

If we use other before a singular countable noun, we must use another determiner before it: I don’t like the red one. I prefer the other colour. Not: I prefer other colour.

Other as a pronoun We can use other as a pronoun. As a pronoun, other has a plural form, others: We have to solve this problem, more than any other, today. I’ll attach two photos to this email and I’ll send others tomorrow.

THE OTHER The other with a singular noun means the second of two things or people, or the opposite of a set of two: This computer here is new. The other computer is about five years old.

The other as a determiner The other with a plural noun means the remaining people or things in a group or set: Joel and Karen are here, but where are the other kids? (the remaining people in a group) Where are the other two dinner plates? I can only find four. (the remaining things in a set – here six plates)

The other as a pronoun We can use the other as a pronoun, especially to refer back to something which has been mentioned already in the sentence: He had his hat in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other. She has two kittens, one is black and the other is all white.

ANOTHER When we use the indefinite article an before other, we write it as one word: another. Another means ‘one more’ or ‘an additional or extra’, or ‘an alternative or different’.

Another as a determiner We use another with singular nouns: Would you like another cup of coffee? You’ve met Linda, but I have another sister who you haven’t met, called Margaret. I don’t like this place. Is there another café around here we could go to? (alternative or different)

Another as a pronoun We can use another as a pronoun: The applications are examined by one committee, then passed on to another.

So, other, the other, another are pronouns when they are replacing a noun. They can be singular or plural. ‘Others’ versus ‘the others’ Both are pronouns, that is, they stand for a noun. ‘Others’ is more vague, we are not determining how many others, or which other ones. ‘The others’ is more specific; it stands for all the rest. Some people prefer vanilla ice cream. Others prefer chocolate. (It’s vague. We are not specifying how many others.) Some people decided to go to the beach. The others stayed at home. (All the rest. The ones that didn’t go to the beach.

Exercise 1. if he is a good person or not, is………..matter 2. Dogs and their owners tend to be very similar to one…… 3. There’s only one……….way we can do this

4. Germany will need to have………. election soon 5 4. Germany will need to have………..election soon 5. Some of them have strong religious ideas and……….have undermocratic political views 6. ……....encouraging change is that solar panels are getting much better

7. ……………people might think you’re crazy if you wear that hat in public 8. That evil corporation manipulates the price of milk and…….types of food too 9. Their action might provoke retaliation by………..goverment 10. Their cakes are so good that I went back the next day and bought……..one