In this lesson, we will learn when to use one and ones in a sentence. Following are the topics which we will address in this lesson:
- Usage of one and ones.
- What if there is no adjective?
- Use of one and ones with uncountable nouns.
Usage of one and ones
One is used in place of repeating a singular countable noun.
Examples:
- I’m craving chocolate. Do you have one I can have? (=”Do you have a chocolate…”)
- I need a new phone. The old one is not working properly. (=”The old phone…”)
- That bus is the last one tonight. (=”the last bus…”)
The plural form of one is ones and is used with plural countable nouns.
Examples:
- I have different flavors of ice cream. The vanilla and chocolate ones are my favorite.
- There are many movies to choose from, but the action ones are always thrilling.
- I don’t like the red shoes. I prefer the blue ones.
What if there is no adjective?
We say “one” and not “a one” or “the one” when there is no adjective.
Examples:
- I have a book, but I need one that is more challenging.
- She wants a cookie, but she can only have one.
- He has a car, but he needs one with better gas mileage.
What about uncountable nouns
We can only use one and ones with countable nouns.
Example 1:
- I need some water. Can I have one? (Incorrect)
- I need some water. Can I have a glass/cup/bottle of it? (Correct)
Example 2:
- I enjoy listening to music. Can you play me one? (Incorrect)
- I enjoy listening to music. Can you play me a song/piece/track? (Correct)
Quiz
I have two cats, and the black ____ is my favorite.
- Choose the correct usage of “one” or “ones” in the sentence:
I have two cats, and the black ____ is my favorite. - Can you lend me a pen? I haven’t got _______
- The children received their gifts, but Timmy misplaced ____.
- Can you bring me some cookies? I prefer the ____ with chocolate chips.
- Which pictures do you like best? The _____ on the left wall.
Option (a) is the correct option. In this sentence, we are referring to a single cat, so “one” is the appropriate choice.
Option (c) is the correct option. Remember to not use any article before “one” when there is no adjective.
Option (a) is the correct option. In the given sentence, we are referring to a single gift belonging to Timmy, so “one” is the appropriate choice.
Option (b) is the correct option. We are referring to multiple cookies with chocolate chips, so “ones” is the correct choice.
Option (b) is the correct options. Pictures is a plural countable noun, hence “ones” seems more appropriate here.
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