• Exciting news! With our new Ad-Free Premium Subscription you can enjoy a distraction-free browsing experience while supporting our site's growth. Without ads, you have less distractions and enjoy faster page load times. Upgrade is optional. Find out more here, and enjoy ad-free learning with us!

others vs the others

Status
Not open for further replies.

lagoo

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2017
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
Some boys are singing, and the others are dancing.
Some boys are singing, and others are dancing.


Is there any difference?
Your help would be appreciated.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Yes, there is a difference.

The first means that all the boys who aren't singing are dancing.
The second means that some of the boys who aren't singing are dancing.
 

lagoo

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2017
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
001.jpg

Is my chart right based on your explanation?

Can I say "Some boys are singing, others are dancing, and the others are drawing" as per Chart 2?
 

GoesStation

No Longer With Us
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
No. I'd write Some of the boys because I'm dividing "the boys" into groups. The last clause should say the rest are drawing. We say "the rest" when we've listed several items and wish to include all the remaining ones in a final assertion.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top