Other, others, the other or another?

We can use other with singular uncountable nouns and with plural nouns:

The embassy website has general information about visas. Other travel information can be obtained by calling the freephone number. (additional or extra information)

Some music calms people; other music has the opposite effect. (different types of music)

What other books by Charles Dickens have you read, apart from ‘Oliver Twist’? (additional or extra books)

This one’s too big. Do you have it in other sizes? (alternative sizes)

If we use other before a singular countable noun, we must use another determiner before it:

I don’t like the red one. I prefer the other colour.

Not: I prefer other colour.

Jeremy is at university; our other son is still at school.

He got 100% in the final examination. No other student has ever achieved that.

There’s one other thing we need to discuss before we finish.

We can use other as a pronoun. As a pronoun, other has a plural form, others:

We have to solve this problem, more than any other, today.

I’ll attach two photos to this email and I’ll send others tomorrow.

The other with a singular noun means the second of two things or people, or the opposite of a set of two:

This computer here is new. The other computer is about five years old.

A:

D’you know the Indian restaurant in Palmer Street?

B:

Yes.

A:

Well, the gift shop is on the other side of the street, directly opposite. (the opposite side)

The other with a plural noun means the remaining people or things in a group or set:

Joel and Karen are here, but where are the other kids? (the remaining people in a group)

Where are the other two dinner plates? I can only find four. (the remaining things in a set – here six plates)

We can use the other as a pronoun, especially to refer back to something which has been mentioned already in the sentence:

He had his hat in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other.

She has two kittens, one is black and the other is all white.

We use another with singular nouns:

Would you like another cup of coffee?

You’ve met Linda, but I have another sister who you haven’t met, called Margaret.

I don’t like this place. Is there another café around here we could go to? (alternative or different)

We can use another as a pronoun:

The applications are examined by one committee, then passed on to another.