HOW TO DISTINGUISH OTHER/ANOTHER/THE OTHER/THE OTHERS

A simple rule to help you remember the difference between another and other is

another + singular noun
other + plural noun 
others (a pronoun to replace other + plural noun)

• I need another cup. (cup is singular so we use another)
• I need other cups. (cup is plural so we use other)
• I need others. (refers to other cups)

I. ANOTHER/OTHER

1. ANOTHER

Another means:

• one more, an additional, an extra
• a different one; an alternative one

Another is a determiner (and a qualifier) that goes before a singular countable noun or a pronoun.

a) Another as a determiner

Another + Singular Countable noun

Another can be followed by a singular countable noun.

• He has bought another motorbike.
• Would you like another cup of coffee?
• Don’t worry about the rain. We can go another day.
• I think you should paint it another color.
• We are having another baby.

Another + One

Another can be placed before “one” when the meaning is clear from the text before it.

• I have already eaten two sandwiches though now I want another one. (= an additional sandwich)
• A: You can borrow more of these books if you like. B: Ok, I’ll take another one. (= another book, one more book)

b) Another as a pronoun

Sometimes another is used as a pronoun.

• That piece of cake was tasty. I think I’ll have another. (another = one more piece of cake)
• I don’t like this room. Let’s ask for another. (another = another room)

Note: you can also say: “I think I’ll have another one.” and “Let’s ask for another one.”

Another + number + plural noun

Another can be used before a plural noun when there is a number before that noun or before phrases such as a couple of, a few etc.

• In another 20 years my laptop is going to be obsolete.
• I like this city so much that I’m going to spend another three days here.
• We need another three teachers before classes begin.
• He was given another couple of months to finish the sculpture.

Remember another is ONE word not two words (an other is incorrect)

2. OTHER

Other is a determiner that goes before plural countable nouns, uncountable nouns or a pronoun.

Othermeans ‘additional or extra’, or ‘alternative’, or ‘different types of’.

a) Other as a determiner

Other + Plural Countable Noun

Other can be followed by a plural countable noun.

• We have other styles if you are interested.
• Have you got any other dresses, or are these the only ones?
• Some days are sunny though other days can be very rainy.
• I have invited some other people.
• I can’t help you because I’m busy with other things.

Other + 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.
• Jeremy is at university; our other son is still at school.
• He got 100% in the final examination. No other student has ever achieved that.
• There’s one other thing we need to discuss before we finish.

b) Other as a pronoun

Other + Ones

Other can be placed before the pronoun “ones” when the meaning is clear from the text before it.

• We don’t need those books, we need other ones. (= different books)
• A: You can borrow my books if you like. B: Thanks, but I need other ones. (= other books)

Note: you can say other one when it refers to wanting the alternative.

• I don't want this one, I want the other one.

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 …

II. OTHERS/THE OTHERS/THE OTHER

1. OTHERS

Others as a pronoun

Others replaces “other ones” or "other + plural noun".
Only others can be used as a pronoun and not other.

• I don’t like these postcards. Let’s ask for others. (others = other postcards)
• Some of the presidents arrived on Monday. Others arrived the following day.

2. THE OTHERS

Others - the others

Often “(the) others” refers to “(the) other people”.

• He has no interest in helping others. (= in helping other people)
• What are the others doing tonight?

What is the difference between other and others?

Other is followed by a noun or a pronoun 
Others is a pronoun and is NOT followed by a noun.

• These shoes are too small. Do you have any other shoes?
• These shoes are too small. Do you have any others? (no noun after others)

3. THE OTHER

a) 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: Do you know the Indian restaurant in Palmer Street?

B: Yes.

A: Well, the gift shop is on the other side 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)

b) 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.

III. 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; othersdisagree.
• Not: … other disagree.

Othermust have a determiner before it when it comes in front of a singular countable noun. If the noun is indefinite (e.g. a book, 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 …

Cr: englishgrammartoday,woodward

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