Other vs. Others vs. The other vs. Another – English Grammar Exercises for B2
A reflective monologue about how an old college friend group has drifted into entirely different lifestyles over the years.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence from the reflection.
1 “Some of my college friends got married right after graduation, while ______ decided to travel the world.”
(A) other
(B) the others
(C) others
(D) another
2 “One of my closest friends became a corporate lawyer. ______, however, chose to open a small bakery.”
(A) Another
(B) Other
(C) Others
(D) The others
3 “I kept in touch with a few people from our dorm, but I completely lost contact with ______.”
(A) other
(B) others
(C) the others
(D) another
4 “Some people value financial stability above all else. ______, like my friend Mark, prioritize freedom and adventure.”
(A) Other
(B) The other
(C) Another
(D) Others
5 “We used to have so much in common, but now it feels like we are living in entirely ______ worlds.”
(A) another
(B) other
(C) others
(D) the other
6 “I have two best friends from that specific time. One lives in Tokyo, and ______ lives in New York.”
(A) another
(B) other
(C) the other
(D) others
7 “Whenever we manage to meet up, some of us want to talk about investments, whereas ______ just want to gossip like old times.”
(A) others
(B) other
(C) another
(D) the other
8 “It is fascinating how one simple decision can lead you down one path, and a different choice leads you to ______.”
(A) other
(B) others
(C) another
(D) the others
9 “Some of them bought huge houses in the suburbs. ______ friends decided to rent tiny apartments in the city center.”
(A) Others
(B) Another
(C) Other
(D) The other
10 “I am perfectly happy with my quiet, simple lifestyle, but I know ______ would find it incredibly boring.”
(A) others
(B) other
(C) another
(D) the other
11 “Out of our core group of five, three are doctors. What do ______ two do for a living?”
(A) other
(B) others
(C) the other
(D) another
12 “Despite our differences, we promised to always support one ______ no matter where life took us.”
(A) another
(B) other
(C) the others
(D) others
13 “If you don’t like the career path you are on, you can always be brave and choose ______ one.”
(A) another
(B) other
(C) others
(D) the others
14 “Some graduates immediately jump into a master’s program. ______, on the contrary, take a gap year to figure things out.”
(A) Other
(B) Another
(C) The other
(D) Others
15 “I just visited Sarah yesterday. I plan to visit a few ______ friends from our old class next weekend.”
(A) other
(B) others
(C) another
(D) the other
16 “Most of the group settled down early. ______, myself included, are still figuring out our careers.”
(A) The others
(B) Others
(C) Another
(D) Other
17 “There is always ______ milestone to reach; first it’s the promotion, then the house, then the kids.”
(A) other
(B) another
(C) others
(D) the other
18 “It’s hard not to compare myself to ______, especially when seeing their highlighted success on social media.”
(A) other
(B) another
(C) others
(D) the other
19 “She gave me one brilliant piece of advice about marriage, and then offered ______ piece about managing personal finances.”
(A) other
(B) another
(C) the others
(D) others
20 “Every time we arrange a reunion, someone cancels at the last minute, and then ______ usually follow suit.”
(A) another
(B) others
(C) the other
(D) other
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) others
- Why it is correct: “Others” is a plural pronoun standing in for “other friends.” It perfectly pairs with “Some” to create the classic Some… others… contrast structure.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) “Other” is an adjective and must be followed by a noun (e.g., other friends). (B) “The others” would mean the entire rest of the group, but here we are speaking in general categories. (D) “Another” is singular.
2 (A) Another
- Why it is correct: “Another” acts as a singular pronoun here, meaning “one other (friend).”
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Needs a plural noun. (C) “Others” is plural, but the verb “chose” is referring to one person opening a single bakery in this specific contrasting context (One friend… Another friend). (D) “The others” is plural.
3 (C) the others
- Why it is correct: Refers to the specific, remaining members of a defined set (the people from the dorm). When you split a known group, the remaining part is “the others.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Needs a noun. (B) Refers to random, general people, missing the specific reference to the dorm group. (D) Singular.
4 (D) Others
- Why it is correct: The classic Some people… Others… structure. “Others” acts as a plural pronoun meaning “other people in general.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Adjective, needs a noun. (B) Singular and specific. (C) Singular.
5 (B) other
- Why it is correct: “Other” acts as an adjective modifying the plural noun “worlds.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Must be followed by a singular countable noun. (C) & (D) are pronouns and cannot precede a noun.
6 (C) the other
- Why it is correct: When you have a strict set of two (two best friends), and one is identified, the remaining one is exactly “the other.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Suggests a third friend. (B) Needs a plural noun. (D) Plural.
7 (A) others
- Why it is correct: The some… others contrast again, functioning as a plural pronoun representing the contrasting subgroup of friends.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Needs a noun. (C) Singular. (D) Singular, specific.
8 (C) another
- Why it is correct: “Another” serves as a pronoun meaning “a different one” (a different path).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Needs a plural noun. (B) Plural. (D) Plural, specific.
9 (C) Other
- Why it is correct: “Other” acts as an adjective modifying the plural noun “friends.” (Some of them… Other friends…).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) “Others” is a pronoun; you cannot say Others friends. (B) Singular. (D) Specific remaining.
10 (A) others
- Why it is correct: Plural pronoun meaning “other people in general.”
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Adjective. (C) Singular. (D) Singular.
11 (C) the other
- Why it is correct: Refers to the specific remaining items (the remaining two people) from a defined set of five.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Would just mean “different two.” (B) Pronoun. (D) Singular.
12 (A) another
- Why it is correct: “One another” is a fixed reciprocal pronoun (similar to “each other”) used for groups.
- Distractor Analysis: (B), (C), and (D) break the fixed idiom structure.
13 (A) another
- Why it is correct: “Another” modifying the pronoun “one,” meaning an additional or different single path.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Needs a plural noun. (C) Plural pronoun. (D) Plural specific.
14 (D) Others
- Why it is correct: Acts as the subject of the sentence, a plural pronoun replacing “other graduates.” Sets up the Some… Others… comparison.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Adjective. (B) Singular. (C) Singular, specific.
15 (A) other
- Why it is correct: “Other” is the adjective modifying the plural noun “friends.”
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Pronoun, cannot sit before a noun. (C) Singular. (D) Singular specific.
16 (A) The others
- Why it is correct: Refers to the specific remaining people from “the group” mentioned in the previous sentence.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) General other people, missing the context of the specific friend group. (C) Singular. (D) Adjective.
17 (B) another
- Why it is correct: “Milestone” is a singular countable noun. “Another” means one more in a sequence.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Needs a plural noun. (C) Pronoun. (D) Specific remaining one.
18 (C) others
- Why it is correct: Plural pronoun meaning “other people in society/life.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Adjective. (B) Singular. (D) Singular specific.
19 (B) another
- Why it is correct: Modifies the singular noun “piece,” meaning one additional piece.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Needs a plural noun. (C) Plural pronoun. (D) Plural pronoun.
20 (B) others
- Why it is correct: A plural pronoun acting as the subject, meaning “other people (in our group).”
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Singular (meaning exactly one other person). (C) Singular specific. (D) Adjective.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When writing essays, giving presentations, or just reflecting on life, you often need to categorize people or things into different groups.
1 The Classic Contrast (Some vs. Others):
- Structure: Some [people/friends/students] do X, while others do Y.
- Why use it: It allows you to speak in general terms without needing to count exactly how many people belong to each group. “Others” acts as a powerful standalone pronoun.
- Example: “Some value money. Others value time.”
2 Other vs. Others (The Golden Rule):
- Other is an adjective. It MUST be followed by a plural noun.
- Correct: “Some friends left. Other friends stayed.”
- Incorrect: “Other stayed.”
- Others is a pronoun. It NEVER takes a noun after it.
- Correct: “Some friends left. Others stayed.”
- Incorrect: “Others friends stayed.”
3 The “Specific Remaining” (The others):
- If you have a known, closed group (e.g., 5 friends), and you separate them, the remaining part of the group takes “The”.
- Example: “Three of my friends are married. The others (the remaining two) are single.”