on one hand? on the one hand?

[caronmi]

"on (the) one hand..., on the other hand..."
should it be with "the" or without "the"? or both are correct?
Thank you~

 

[philadelphia]

*Not a teacher

As far as I know it would go: On one hand... On the other [hand]. Another possibility: On one side... On the other [side]

 

[caronmi]

*Not a teacher

As far as I know it would go: On one hand... On the other [hand]. Another possibility: On one side... On the other [side]

Then, does "On one side... On the other [side]" indicate two opposite sides of the problem?

 

[philadelphia]

Then, does "On one side... On the other [side]" indicate two opposite sides of the problem?

Yes, it does. It may also show a difference.

EDIT: Some examples:
On one side, we have the world champion Thomas. On the other, we have the challenger Mark. They are opposites and different as well

On one side, here is Thomas who is a student in History and will very soon become clever and usefull . On the other side, there is Mark who is an actor and could become famous and rich someday. They are just different and not necessarily opposites

 

[caronmi]

Thank you so much for your specific answers! It indeed helps me a lot;-)
But I still can find "on the one hand" in some online dictionaries (e.g. The Free Dictionary BY FARLEX), it says:
"on the one hand As one point of view; from one standpoint.

on the other hand As another point of view; from another standpoint."

And I still wonder what's the difference between "on one hand" and "on the one hand", some people say the latter one is more formal than the former one, is that true?

 

[Abstract Idea]

----- I am not an ESL teacher -----

But I still can find "on the one hand" in some online dictionaries (e.g. The Free Dictionary BY FARLEX), it says:
"on the one hand As one point of view; from one standpoint.

on the other hand As another point of view; from another standpoint."

And I still wonder what's the difference between "on one hand" and "on the one hand", some people say the latter one is more formal than the former one, is that true?

I think you can use both, although "on one hand" is somewhat more usual.
Yes, "on the one hand" looks more formal, but it could be just an impression.

A slight different could be the following:

If you first state that you are going to present two confronting situations, than you may use "on the one hand."
E.g.:
It has pros and cons: On the one hand ... On the other hand ...

However, if you begin stating the first confronting situation, then you are more likely to use "on one hand."
Well, on one hand ... On the other hand ...

Finally it is important to note that you can also use only "on the other hand", without its accompanying pair, if you recall the expression only after you have already introduced in the first confronting situation. Take a look for instance at: https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/104219-other-hand.html

It would be interesting to read a native speaker about this point.

 

[caronmi]

:lol:I've read through your previous thread and found it useful to me

 

[Raymott]

You can use either, "on one hand" or "one the one hand".
Trying to differentiate between them is likely to be fruitless.

 

[kfredson]

----- I am not an ESL teacher -----



I think you can use both, although "on one hand" is somewhat more usual.
Yes, "on the one hand" looks more formal, but it could be just an impression.

A slight different could be the following:

If you first state that you are going to present two confronting situations, than you may use "on the one hand."
E.g.:
It has pros and cons: On the one hand ... On the other hand ...

However, if you begin stating the first confronting situation, then you are more likely to use "on one hand."
Well, on one hand ... On the other hand ...

Finally it is important to note that you can also use only "on the other hand", without its accompanying pair, if you recall the expression only after you have already introduced in the first confronting situation. Take a look for instance at: https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/104219-other-hand.html

It would be interesting to read a native speaker about this point.

What you say here is very useful. I would say that "on the one hand" is more commonly used when we are speaking of points-of-view generally, but I can see that you might use "on one hand" in the way you suggest. It is a fine point, though, and I doubt many people would notice the difference.