one
[ wuhn ]
/ wʌn /
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adjective
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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
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Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Idioms about one
Origin of one
First recorded before 900; Middle English oon, Old English ān; cognate with Dutch een, German ein, Gothic ains, Latin ūnus (Old Latin oinos ); akin to Greek oínē “ace on a die”
grammar notes for one
One as an indefinite pronoun meaning “any person indefinitely, anyone” is more formal than you, which is also used as an indefinite pronoun with the same sense: One (or you ) should avoid misconceptions. One (or you ) can correct this fault in three ways. When the construction requires that the pronoun be repeated, either one or he or he or she is used; he or he or she is the more common in the United States: Wherever one looks, he (or he or she ) finds evidence of pollution. In speech or informal writing, a form of they sometimes occurs: Can one read this without having their emotions stirred?
In constructions of the type one of those who (or that or which ), the antecedent of who is considered to be the plural noun or pronoun, correctly followed by a plural verb: He is one of those people who work for the government. Yet the feeling that one is the antecedent is so strong that a singular verb is commonly found in all types of writing: one of those people who works for the government. When one is preceded by only in such a construction, the singular verb is always used: the only one of her sons who visits her in the hospital.
The substitution of one for I, a typically British use, is usually regarded as an affectation in the United States. See also he1, they.
In constructions of the type one of those who (or that or which ), the antecedent of who is considered to be the plural noun or pronoun, correctly followed by a plural verb: He is one of those people who work for the government. Yet the feeling that one is the antecedent is so strong that a singular verb is commonly found in all types of writing: one of those people who works for the government. When one is preceded by only in such a construction, the singular verb is always used: the only one of her sons who visits her in the hospital.
The substitution of one for I, a typically British use, is usually regarded as an affectation in the United States. See also he1, they.
Other definitions for one (2 of 2)
-one
a suffix used in the names of ketones and analogous chemical compounds: lactone; quinone.
Origin of -one
Perhaps <Greek -ōnē feminine patronymic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use one in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for one (1 of 2)
one
/ (wʌn) /
determiner
pronoun
noun
Other words from one
Related prefixes: mono-, uni-Related adjective: singleWord Origin for one
Old English ān, related to Old French ān, ēn, Old High German ein, Old Norse einn, Latin unus, Greek oinē ace
British Dictionary definitions for one (2 of 2)
-one
suffix forming nouns
indicating that a chemical compound is a ketoneacetone
Word Origin for -one
arbitrarily from Greek -ōnē, feminine patronymic suffix, but perhaps influenced by -one in ozone
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Scientific definitions for one
-one
A suffix used to form the names of chemical compounds containing an oxygen atom attached to a carbon atom, such as acetone.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with one
one
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.