one
part of speech
number (one, ones); pronoun (one, ones; one another); determiner; adjective (the one and only)
meaning for a pupil
1) One is the number 1, the first and smallest whole number above zero. tree →
2) One means a single person or thing: one cup. tree →
3) As a pronoun, one stands for a thing already named: I want the red one. tree →
4) One can mean any person: One must be careful. tree →
5) «One another» means each other. tree →
6) One can mean «a certain»: one day, one morning. tree →
7) (casual) «A quick one» means a short drink or visit; «you're a funny one» means you're odd; «nice one!» (UK, Australia) means well done; «I owe you one» means I owe you a favour; «one sec» means wait a moment. tree →
8) (rough) «Give someone one», «land one on someone» means hit them; «you're a right one» is a sarcastic put-down. tree →
9) (formal) The exam voice says «a single», «unity», «a solitary», «one unit», «per unit», «a sole». tree →
sense in the lessons
an amount; «the size of one group» (one factor in multiplying); «one box holds 6 eggs» = size of one group; in maths ones are the units place (in 23 there are 3 ones); in everyday life «one by one», «one day» (in stories, some day), «one more», «one at a time»; in casual talk «nice one», «one sec», «I owe you one»; in the exam voice «a single unit», «per unit», «unity»
examples
- I add one plum on the table. tree →
- We multiply the number of groups by the size of one group. tree →
- One box holds 6 eggs. How many eggs are in 4 boxes? tree →
- I have one brother and two sisters. tree →
- Which hat do you like? The blue one. tree →
- The children came in one by one. tree →
- In 47 there are 4 tens and 7 ones. tree →
- One day, a little fox left the forest. tree →
- Any number times one stays the same. tree →
- one sec, gotta grab 1 more chair tree →
- You got 20 out of 20? Nice one! tree →
- A single carton accommodates 6 eggs; determine the capacity of 4 such cartons. tree →
- One swallow does not make summer. tree →
note
A number word: read it as 1. Trap: «one» can mean a person in a comparison, as in «than another one»; «one day» starts a story and is not a count of days; «one sec» is a short wait, not a second exactly. Order word «first» (1st). Any number multiplied by 1 stays the same. «a single» and «unity» in an exam mean one. Do not mix «one» with «won» (past of win): they sound the same.
In the corpora
- Overtime is working extra hours beyond the normal ones; sometimes it is paid at a higher rate, sometimes not paid at all.
- Some cash machines charge a fee for taking out money, while most bank ones are free.
- A chore chart lists the household jobs and who does each one, so work is shared fairly and nobody has to nag.
- An older person who finds a new partner after losing a husband or wife has not forgotten the one who died.
- Nicotine is very addictive, so smokers feel uncomfortable until they have the next one, and most started as teenagers.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «one» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.