🅰️ Grammar · Articles & Determiners
Another, Other & Others
Three little words, three different jobs — learn the pattern once and you’ll never mix them up again.
Grammar › Articles & Determiners › Another, Other & Others
The rule in one sentenceUse another before a singular noun for “one more” or “a different one”, other before a plural or uncountable noun, and others (or the others) alone, with no noun after it, for the rest of a group.
What’s the difference?
English has three closely related words for talking about “more” or “different” items — another, other and others — and they trip learners up because they look similar but behave completely differently in a sentence. Learn the pattern below and the confusion disappears for good.
Another is always one word, never “an other”, and it only ever describes a single countable thing. It can mean “one more of the same kind” — Juno fans, delighted with the film, are hoping director Jason Reitman makes another one — or it can mean “a different one” — after sitting through the theatrical cut of Donnie Darko, many viewers preferred to watch another version, the director’s cut released later.
Other, without “an”, goes in front of a plural or uncountable noun, and it never takes an -s of its own: besides Chiwetel Ejiofor, several other actors delivered acclaimed performances in 12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen. Because “actors” is already plural, “other” stays in its short form — “others actors” is always wrong.
Others and the other work alone, standing in for a noun that’s already been mentioned rather than sitting in front of one. The Little Miss Sunshine (2006) cast includes Abigail Breslin and Greg Kinnear in the leads; the others — Steve Carell, Toni Collette and the rest of the ensemble — filled out the supporting roles. Notice there’s no noun directly after “others” here; it’s already standing in for one.
🎬 Compare: Superbad introduces two central characters in its story — Seth is the loud, confident one, and the other, Evan, is quieter and more anxious about starting college (a specific, known pair). If a new best friend turned up in a hypothetical sequel, we’d call him another character — an extra addition, not part of that original pair.
“The other” points at a known, limited set. “Another” reaches for something extra, with no fixed limit.
How to build it
Another
After the success of the original 1963 comedy, audiences were soon given another Pink Panther film.
I wasn’t keen on the 2019 Lion King remake — let’s watch another version, the 1994 animated original.
Other / The other
Besides Ewan McGregor, several other cast members returned for T2 Trainspotting.
Two Spike Jonze films are built around a bizarre, surreal premise: Being John Malkovich follows an unemployed puppeteer, and the other, Adaptation, follows a screenwriter struggling to adapt a book.
Others / The others
Some viewers of Megalopolis praised its ambition; others called it a mess.
Hugh Jackman appears in nearly every X-Men film; the others come and go.
When to use which
Talking about ONE thing
- An extra or different one (indefinite): After Moon, fans are hoping Sam Rockwell makes another film with Duncan Jones.
- The specific one left, from a known pair: Two Spike Jonze films share a screenwriter — Being John Malkovich’s, and the other, Adaptation’s.
Talking about MORE THAN ONE thing
- Some more, not specified, before a noun: Other Studio Ghibli films, besides Spirited Away, have also won major awards.
- An indefinite group, standing alone: Some viewers rank Belle de Jour as one of the greatest films of the 1960s; others disagree.
- The rest of a known, definite group: Several original cast members returned for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice; the others were replaced.
Signal phrases
These fixed phrases almost always travel with one specific word — learn them and you’ll recognise the pattern instantly.
Visual guide
Teacher Teddy’s illustrated guide to this rule is being drawn — the full swipe-through infographic will appear here soon.
Common mistakes
❌ Can I watch an other episode of The Mandalorian?
✅ Can I watch another episode of The Mandalorian?
“Another” is always written as one word — “an other” doesn’t exist.
❌ The others cast members were nervous before the Sideways premiere.
✅ The other cast members were nervous before the Sideways premiere.
“Other” (no -s) goes directly before a plural noun; “others” only stands alone, with no noun after it.
❌ I loved Rambo, but other film in the franchise disappointed me.
✅ I loved Rambo, but another film in the franchise disappointed me.
“Film” is singular and countable, so it needs “another” — “other” alone can’t sit in front of a singular noun.
❌ Two actors auditioned for the lead in Almost Famous; another got the part.
✅ Two actors auditioned for the lead in Almost Famous; the other got the part.
With exactly two known people, the specific remaining one is “the other” — “another” suggests a less specific, additional option.
Exceptions & tricky cases
1. “Another” has two different meanings. It can mean “one more of the same kind” or “a different one” — only context tells you which. Blade Runner has several official cuts: if you didn’t like the 1982 theatrical version, you could try another cut (a different one, the Director’s Cut) — or, if you loved it, book another screening of that same version (one more of the same).
2. “Every other” means alternating, not “all the remaining ones”. If you watched every other Terminator film, you’d watch numbers 1, 3, 5… and skip the rest — not watch “all the other” Terminator films.
3. “One of the other” combines both words. Source Code is Duncan Jones’s most famous puzzle film, but one of the other Duncan Jones films, Moon, has just as much to unpack.
Practice: choose the right word
Eight quick questions. Pick the answer you’d actually say — you get the explanation either way.
1. I’ve already watched All About My Mother this month; can we watch ___ film tonight?
“Film” is singular and countable, and this means “a different one” → another.
2. There are two directors in the Coen brothers filmmaking duo; one is Joel, and ___ is Ethan.
A specific, known pair — the second one is “the other”, not “another”.
3. Some fans loved mother!; ___ were disappointed.
No noun follows, so the pronoun “others” is needed, not “other”.
4. Duncan Jones is already planning ___ film about space after Moon.
“Film” is singular — you need “another”, not “other” (which needs a plural or uncountable noun).
5. The ___ actors in Sideways, besides Paul Giamatti, rehearsed for months too.
“Other” sits directly before the plural noun “actors” — “others” never sits before a noun.
6. Sony released yet ___ Ghostbusters film in 2021.
“Yet another” is a fixed phrase for “one more, and we’re getting tired of it” — always with “another”.
7. If you watch every ___ Rambo film, you’ll see Rambo 1 and 3, skipping 2 and 4.
“Every other” is a fixed phrase meaning “alternating” — always singular “other”, never “others”.
8. Two actors auditioned for the lead in Almost Famous; ___ got the part.
With exactly two known people, the specific remaining one is “the other”, not “another”.
Keep going
Related lessons in Articles & Determiners:
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