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Shido Shohei Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

The use of "one," "another," "some," etc.

I am wondering if you could use "others" and "the others" in one sentence. Should you not use "the rest" instead of "the others," or is it grammatically OK and sounds natural?

Also, are any of the sentences below awkward or grammatically wrong?
  1. Tom has two pens. One is red. The other is black.
  2. Tom has two pens. One of them is red. The other one is black.
  3. Tom has three pens. One is red. Another is blue. The other is black.
  4. Tom has three pens. One is red. Another one is blue. The other one is black.
  5. Tom has four pens. One is red. One is blue. One is green. The other is black. Emotion: rolleyes
  6. Tom has four pens. One is red. Another is blue. Another is green. The other is black.
  7. Tom has four pens. One is red. Another is blue. Yet another is green. The other is black. Emotion: rolleyes
  8. Tom has five pens. One is red. Some are blue. The others are black.
  9. Tom has five pens. One is red. Others are blue. The others are black. Emotion: rolleyes
  10. Tom has five pens. One is red. Others are blue. The rest are black.
  11. Tom has ten pens. Some are red. Some are blue. The others are black. Emotion: rolleyes
  12. Tom has ten pens. Some are red. Some others are blue. The others are black.
  13. Tom has ten pens. Some are red. Others are blue. The others are black. Emotion: rolleyes
  14. Tom has ten pens. Two are red. Another two are blue. The others are black.
  15. Tom has ten pens. Two are red. Another three are blue. Another two are green. The others are black. Emotion: rolleyes
I am curious especially of the sentences with a Emotion: rolleyes mark.
  

Top answer

Tom has two pens. One is red. The other is black.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Tom has two pens.
  • One is red.
  • The other is black.
  • OK Tom has two pens.
  • One of them is red.
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6 Answers
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  1. Tom has two pens. One is red. The other is black. OK
  2. Tom has two pens. One of them is red. The other one is black. OK
  3. Tom has three pens. One is red. Another is blue. The third is black.
  4. Tom has three pens. One is red. Another one is blue. The last one is black.
  5. Tom has four pens. One is red. One is blue. One
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Thank you. Now I understand that you can't use "some" and "the others" in one sentence.

I am still not sure of the cases where the original group is divided into three or more sub-groups. Can you use "one," "another," or "some" in succession in such cases? For example:
  • Tom has ten pens. One is red. One is black. One is green....
  • Tom has ten pens. One is red. Another is
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I am still not sure of the cases where the original group is divided into three or more sub-groups. Can you use "one," another," or "some" in succession in such cases? For example:
  • Tom has ten pens. One is red. One is black. One is green....
  • Tom has ten pens. One is red. Another is black. Another is green....
  • Tom has ten pens. Some are red. Some are black. Some are white....
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Yes, you can. But these short choppy sentences sound like a 5-year old child wrote them.
What about in sentences in exam questions (like math, logic, etc.) or in academic research papers?
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Not logical, because "the others" (or "the rest") means "the ones not yet mentioned." "Some" is indefinite, so you can't logically combine "some" with "the others". Tom has five pens; one is red and the others are blue or black.
How do you write when a group is divided into two, but the exact number of each subgroup is not known (i.e. indefinite)? Say, about 60-70
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When you don't know the numbers exactly, you can write:

There are some pencils in the box. There are some red ones, some blue ones, and some black ones. Most are black, but a few are either red or blue. Less than half are red and blue; the majority are black. More than half are black, and the rest are about equally divided between red and blue.
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