the one

[Vanina Petrova]

Today I read that the following sentence is wrong because of the use of one:
"In 1970, Mexico's murder rate was higher than the one in any other country."

My question is, what rule exactly is broken here?

 

[Tarheel]

Try:

In 1970, Mexico's murder rate was higher than that of any other country.

Who wrote that sentence, and what did they mean by "the one"?

 

[Vanina Petrova]

This sentence is an option in a multiple choice paraphrase. I know it's wrong, my question is why can't murder rate be replaced by one.

 

[Tarheel]

It's clearly "the one" that's the issue. If it's clear what you are referring to, then "the one" is probably OK. Of course, you should include the rest of the phrase.

 

[Skrej]

Today I read that the following sentence is wrong because of the use of one:
"In 1970, Mexico's murder rate was higher than the one in any other country."

Please post the source of this sentence, in accordance with forum rules. We need that information before you receive any further assistance.

 

[Vanina Petrova]

Five Real Tests with key & explanatory answers
Sofia University Admission Tests in English as a Foreign Language
Book 7
2001, third edition
p. 15

 

[jutfrank]

My question is, what rule exactly is broken here?

my question is why can't murder rate be replaced by one.

There are no 'broken rules'. The correct pronoun in this kind of comparative sentence is 'that', not 'the one'. As Tarheel has already said, here's the correct way to say this:

In 1970, Mexico's murder rate was higher than that of any other country.

Note that you also need 'of', not 'in', to agree with the possessive Mexico's.

 

[Vanina Petrova]

If something is wrong, there must be a broken rule.

 

[Tarheel]

Do native speakers of Bulgarian focus on rules?

 

[Vanina Petrova]

Not all of them but teachers do.

 

[5jj]

My new car is faster than the one I hired in Spain.

The one is fine. That is not.

In 1970, Mexico's murder rate was higher than the one in any other country.

The one does not work. That is correct.

I cannot at the moment think why this is so.

 

[Tarheel]

Your profile says you're an English teacher.

Human beings are hard-wired to learn language. They pick up on what they hear and learn their first language without instruction. (Birth to six.) They don't learn rules. They learn patterns.

Babies do important stuff.

 

[5jj]

@Tarheel It's one of the jobs of English teachers to clarify rules and patterns for learners. I am still working on this one. It may be obvious and I have just missed it.

 

[jutfrank]

If something is wrong, there must be a broken rule.

I really don't think that's true at all, but perhaps I misunderstand what you mean.

As I said before, the sentence needs the preposition 'of' instead of 'in', to keep the possessive sense expressed in the genitive Mexico's murder rate. For this reason, you can't substitute 'murder rate' with 'one'. It's not natural to say 'the one of'.