oxford_guide_to_english_grammar

PAGE 241
188 One and ones
187 Overview: personal pronouns, Possessives and
reflexives
Personal pronouns • 184 Possessives • 174
Subject Object Determiners Pronouns
SINGULAR
First person I me my mine myself
Second person you you your yours yourself
Third person he him his his himself
she her her hers herself
it it its itself
Reflexive/emphatic
pronouns • 186
PLURAL
First person we us our ours ourselves
Second person you you your yours yourselves
Third person they them their theirs themselves
188 One and ones
1 We sometimes use one or ones instead of a noun. Here are some examples from
real conversations.
I felt I could afford a bigger car, and the one I'd got was on its last legs, really.
(the one = the car)
Now I will think everywhere I go on an aeroplane 'Is this one going to come
down?' (this one = this aeroplane)
And what other stamps do you like besides Polish ones? ~ English ones. We've got
a lot of those. (English ones = English stamps)
One is singular and ones is plural. We use one/ones to avoid repeating a noun when
it is clear from the context what we mean.
NOTE
We cannot use one/ones instead of an uncountable noun, but we can leave out the noun.
This is plain paper. I wanted lined.
2 Sometimes we can either use one/ones or leave it out. But sometimes we have to
use it if we leave out the noun.
a
Patterns where we can leave out one/ones
After a demonstrative
These pictures are nice. I like this (one).
After each, any, another, either and neither.
The building had six windows. Each (one) had been broken.
After which
There are lots of seats still available. Which (ones) would you like?
After a superlative
These stamps are the nicest (ones).