Move from a tree to other tree

Question

Hi,is the sentence correct?Monkey is a clever animal that can move fast. It can move fast from a tree to other tree.

Ivanhr · Accepted Answer

No, you should say

A/the monkey is a clever animal that can move fast. It can move fast from a tree to another tree.

CalifJim · Answer

forlanIt can move fast from a tree to other tree.

You need this:

It can move fast from one tree to another.

CJ

Ivanhr · Answer

CalifJim
forlanIt can move fast from a tree to other tree.
You need this: It can move fast from one tree to another. CJ

CJ, yes, that's better.

CalifJim · Answer

IvanhrBut isn't "from a tree to another tree" acceptable?

The grammar is correct, but it's not as idiomatic. It's the "a" instead of "one" that makes it less idiomatic.

You can have "from one tree to another tree" even though the final "tree" is unnecessary, but "from a tree to ..." is not quite right. When a native speaker hears "from a tree to ...", he expects "a roof top" or something like that --- anything but another tree! The patterns are these:

from one P to another (P)

from a P to a Q

So it can actually be a bit comic to hear from a P to another (P).

He lived in so many different places that year. He moved from a house to ........... another house. (!)

(We expect something like He moved from a house to a hotel, from a hotel to a motel, and so on.

We hear up to the "to" and expect a contrasting element next, but we get the same thing again!)

____________

Besides, from a tree to another tree implies only two trees, the starting tree and the ending tree.

On the other hand, from one tree to another implies as many trees as you want, continually jumping to another tree.

More than you wanted to know, I suppose.

CJ

Ivanhr · Answer

Thanks, CJ. Yes, in fact,  "from one tree to another" would be the most natural utterance even in my native language so sometimes it helps to translate but I was focusing on another versus other and simply overlooked that.

Forlan · Answer

thanks ivan and CJ

Move from a tree to other tree

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