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Special cases of ONE used with nouns

Close up of keys
Ray via Flickr
There are some special cases when we use ONE with nouns.

We don't use one after a noun used like an adjective. In the example below, the word "house" (a noun) is used like an adjective to talk about the key.

  • I thought I lost my house key, but actually it was the car key. (not "car one")

We use one with "my", "your" etc. in casual speech, but in formal English we use "mine", "yours" etc. Compare:

  1. I bought a bag just like your one. [casual]
  2. I bought a bag just like yours. [formal]

Usually, you should not use ones to refer to people, however we do use ones in comparative sentences:

  • Taller players make better attackers than shorter ones

We also use ones in some set phrases that talk about people:

  • your loved ones; and
  • He was one of the lucky ones.
  • ユーザー Matthew の写真
    Matthew
    About me
    I am from New Zealand. I lived in Japan and Brazil for a long time, but now I am back home in Auckland. I am the founder of Poligo. I like to play guitar and video games and surf when I get the chance. I have a wife and two boys.
    Experience
    I specialize in teaching English to professionals and English teachers. I have taught English since 2001 in Japan, New Zealand and Brazil. I speak Japanese & Portuguese. I am the founder of Poligo and The English Farm (an online school for business English).

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