What's the difference between OTHER, OTHERS and ANOTHER?

This is a very common and frequent question among pre-intermediate ESL students. Every now and then I am asked about the difference between "other", "others" and "another". So we are going to see one at a time, thus maybe we can avoid its misuse.

The first one is "other” which means “other person or thing”. This word is generally accompanied by the word "the". Take a look at those examples:

·   I have two pencils. One is black, and the other is blue.

·   The other car cost much less.

·   Where are the other boys?

·   The other people are waiting for the same thing.

·   Add the flour and the other ingredients.

It’s not a rule, because sometimes "other" can appear alone in the sentence or preceded by words like "some", "any", "my", "your", "his", etc., or also a number:

·   I have no other hat.

·   None of her other friends came.

·   Camila has three other children.

·   Many other people have said the same.

·   They gazed into each other's eyes.

·   Do you have any other questions?

The word "others" is used to avoid repetion of words in one sentence. The use of  "the" is optional.

·   Some people like to rest in their free time. Others like to travel. 

·   One boy fell off his chair and the others laughed.

·   This is not the only answer to the question. There are others.

It is relevant to mention that we can use the expression "the others" with the same meaning as  "the other people" or "the other things":

·   There were three books on my table. One is here. Where are the others?

·   Katarina and Andrew are bringing some food, but the others aren't.

Last, but not least, the word "another" which means “one more”. If you observe it closely It is exactly the same thing as "an other" written together. By the way, both are written together - another – since th 16^th century. We use "another" when we want to refer to something which was mentioned before in a sentence.

·   This cake is delicious! Can I have another slice, please? 

·   Please give me another chance.

·   He was a wonderful teacher. Everyone agreed it would be hard to find another like him.

I hope I could clarify the doubts.

As a last tip: Try to observe the words in context, so then you will notice the difference between them. Observe the examples. They always help to understand the use of the words.

See you next time!!