Other, others, the other or another?
Other
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)
What other books by Charles Dickens have you read, apart from ‘Oliver Twist’? (additional or extra books)
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 theother colour.
Not: I prefer other colour.
Jeremy is at university; ourother son is still at school.
He got 100% in the final examination. Noother student has ever achieved that.
There’s oneother thing we need to discuss before we finish.
Warning:
Other as a determiner does not have a plural form:
Mandy and Charlotte stayed behind. The other girls went home.
Not: The others girls …
See also:
Determiners (the, my, some, this)
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 as a determiner
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.
A:
D’you know the Indian restaurant in Palmer Street?
B:
Yes.
A:
Well, the gift shop is ontheotherside of the street, directly opposite. (the opposite side)
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.
Other, others, the other or another: typical errors
When other is a determiner, it does not have a plural form:
These boxes are for books. The other boxes are for clothes.
Not: The others boxes …
When other as a pronoun refers to more than one person or thing, it takes the plural form, others:
Some scientists think we should reduce the number of flights to prevent global warming; others disagree.
Not: … other disagree.
Other must have a determiner before it when it comes in front of a singular countable noun. If the noun is indefinite (e.g. abook, a woman, an idea), we use another:
I’ve posted the first package. What shall I do with that other package?
Not: What shall I do with other package?
After a month in Bolivia, I was ready to move to another country.
Not: … to move to other country.
We write another as one word:
There is another car park a little further down the same street.
Not: There is an other car park …
Another is singular. We don’t use it with plural nouns:
Other interesting places to visit include the old harbour and the castle.
Not: Another interesting places to visit …
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