Revision M-Q

2020-11-19

ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด O - one

การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ที่ถือว่า ถูกต้องนี้ เป็นไปตามมาตรฐานการใช้ภาษา

การใช้คำอังกฤษ ไม่กำหนดมาตฐาน ถือตามส่วนใหญ่ที่ใช้แต่ละท้องถิ่น

ความหมาย อาจยืดหยุ่น ขึ้นอยู่กับ ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค

Dictionary.com

ออกเสียง one = ‘WUHN

Dictionary.com

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 theantecedent 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.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Using One as a Pronoun:

Usage Guide

Pronoun

Sense 2a (an individual of a vaguely indicated group : anyone at all, one never knows) is usuallya sign of a formal style.

A formal style excludes the participation ofthe reader or hearer; thus one is used where a less formal style might address the reader directly.

for the consequences of such choices, one has only oneself to thank

— Walker Gibson

This generic one has never beencommon in informal use

in either British or American English,

and people who start sentences with one

often shift to another pronoun more natural tocasual discourse.

when one is learning the river, he is not allowed to do or think about anything else — Mark Twain Use of one to replace a first-person pronoun—sense 2b—has occasionally been criticized.

It is more common in British English thanin American.

I'm watching this pretty carefully and I hope that the issue will come up in the Lords and one may be able to speak about it — Donald Coggan

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

One

Seasoned casino gamblers know one armed-bandit

as the name for a slot machine that pays off according to the matching of symbols on wheels spun by a handle (the arm)

there's also an up-to-date electronic versionof the machine.

Those experiencing a streak of bad luck at a slot machine that they keep feeding might regard it as robbing them—hence, the sobriquet bandit.

If the machine is, in fact, making out like a bandit, we suggest stepping away—but do you really want the next person to hit the jackpot?

The phrase at one fell swoop is uttered by Lord Macduff in William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth when he learns that the play's title character has had his wife and children murdered. Macduff, grief-stricken, utters, "O hell-kite! All? What, all my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop?" His lament is a metaphor likening the act of Macbeth to that of a hawk swooping (or "stooping") down on defenseless prey, and fell here means "fierce, cruel, terrible." The word choice is used to conveyboth the suddenness and fierceness of the attack as well as the helplessness of the victims.

The adjective fell (a relative of felon) is now rarely used except as a literary term, and today the phrase at one fell swoop is used in the weakened sense "all at once" or "with a single concentrated effort," and it might be encountered withan initial in or with in place of at.

Horses have been used by humans as a means of transportation and as draft animals for centuries. So it is somewhat surprising that the adjective one-horse, used to describea vehicle or machine drawn by a single horse, is first found in print in the early half of the 18th century. During the 19th century, one-horse came to denote non-equine things that are considered second-rate, small-time, or unimportant. An event or business might be said to be a "one-horse affair," or you might find yourself in a "one-horse town" with nothing to do but stay the night and gallop away upon awakening in search of excitement and adventure.

One-trick pony refers tosomeone or something that is skilled or successful in only one area (like a circus pony which has been taught one trick). About mid-20th century, it begins to be used metaphorically in American slang and often connotes that the person or thing in question has little to offer.

One was a one-trick pony, built for the Home Run Derby and nothing else. Another was a broken-down pitcher, relegated to the bullpen, but not the kind of guy you would put in a starting rotation. The third was past his prime and should have ridden off on the going-away scooter he was given and never looked back. On Sunday, they all became members of the AL All-Star team.
— Evan Grant, The Dallas News, 30 June 2019

The verb one-up, meaning "to outdo or get an advantage over (someone)," enters English in the 1960s and is a back-formation from one-upmanship.

One-upmanship, meaning "the art or practice of outdoing or keeping one jump ahead of a friend or competitor," is believed to be coined by British author Stephen Potter in his 1952 book One-Upmanship: Being Some Account of the Activities and Teachings of the Lifemanship Correspondence College of One-Upness and Games Lifemastery.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary

One

In modern English one as a pronoun

meaning ‘anyone’ or ‘me and people in general’,

as in one must try one's best,

is generally only used in formal and written contexts,

and can be regarded as pompous or over-formal.

In informal and spoken contexts the normal alternative is you,

as in you have to do what you can, don't you?

American Heritage Dictionary

one

USAGE NOTE:

When constructions headed by one

appear as the subject of a sentence or relative clause,

there may be a question as to

whether the verb should be singular or plural.

Such a construction is exemplified in the sentence

One of every ten rotors was found defective.

Although the plural were is sometimes usedin such sentences,

an earlier survey found that the singular was preferred by a large majority of the Usage Panel.

Another problem is raised by constructions

such as one of those people who or itsvariants.

In the sentence

The defeat turned out to be one of the most costly blows that were ever inflicted on our forces,

most grammarians would hold that the plural were is correct,

inasmuch as the subject of the verb is theplural noun blows.

However, constructions of this sort are often used with a singular verb even by the best writers.

Note also that when the phrase containing one

is introduced by the definite article,

the verb in the relative clause must besingular:

He is the only one of the students who has (not have) already taken Latin. See Usage Note at  he1.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language

Usage Note:

In formal usage,

the pronoun one is sometimes used asa generic pronoun

meaning "anyone":

One would hope that train service could be improved.

The informal counterpart of one is you:

You never know what to expect from her.

Trouble arises when one is used in a series of sentences,

and there is a need for a relative pronoun to refer back to one.

One option is to use one and one's repeatedly,

as in One tries to be careful about where one invests one's money.

But in a sequence of sentences this inevitably becomes tedious.

A traditional alternative has been to use he, him, and his:

One tries to be careful about his investments.

This has the drawback of raising the specter of gender bias.

Because of these problems, the temptation may arise to switch to you,

but this will undoubtedly be distracting to the reader.

It is better to use the same generic pronoun throughout.

As a generic pronoun, one should be avoided as the direct object of a verb or a preposition,

especially if it comes at the end of the sentence.

Thus the sentence Bad dreams can make one restless

may sound stilted,

but One must not tease the bears or they will attack one

sounds almost ungrammatical.

As a subject or in the possessive form, one fares much better.

One should be cordial with one's colleagues sounds somewhat formal,

but is acceptable.

Does the phrase One of x, where x is a plural noun phrase, take a singular or a plural verb?

Sometimes the answer is straightforward.

In the sentence One of every ten rotors was found defective,

the one defective rotor is contrasted with, rather than being an example of, the larger group of rotors.

A singular verb is almost always used here because it agrees with the singular "one." In 2001, 99 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the singular verb in this sentence.

In many cases, the contrastive use of one of can be easily identified by the fact that the phrase containing one isintroduced by the definite article:

He is the only one of the students who has (not have) already taken Latin.

Constructions such as one of those people who are more problematic.

In the sentence He is one of those men who are constantly complaining about their jobs,

the one man, rather than being in contrast to the larger group,

is an example of a larger group of men who complain.

The relative pronoun who appears to refer to men,

and so the verb should be plural: are.

But the use of a singular verb in sentences like these has long been common, even among the best writers, presumably because the relative clause, though semantically modifying the adjacent noun (men), feels like it fits equally well with the subject noun (he).

The Usage Panel, accordingly, does not have a strict preference for the plural form. In our 2014 survey, although 72 percent accepted the plural are constantly complaining, 57 percent accepted the singular is constantly complaining.

In some cases the Panel actually preferred the supposedly incorrect singular: 64 percent accepted The sports car turned out to be one of the most successful products that was ever manufactured in this country, while only 55 percent accepted were ever manufactured. Several Panelists commented that they decide by ear which verb form to use, and that appears to be the most viable advice.

In some (but not all) cases, the sentence can be rewritten to avoid the choice:

The sports car turned out to be one of the most successful products ever manufactured in this country.

Constructions using one or more or one or two always take a plural verb:

One or more cars were parked in front of the house each day this week. One or two students from our department have won prizes.

Note that when followed by a fraction,

one ordinarily gets a plural verb:

One and a half years have passed since I last saw her.

The fraction rule has an exception in that amounts are sometimes treated as singular entities:

One and a half cups is enough sugar.

Note also that the plural rule does not apply to these one-plus-a-fraction constructions that are introduced by the indefinite article.

These constructions are always singular:

A year and a half has passed since I last saw her. See Usage Note at he1.

Word History:

Why do we pronounce one (wŭn) and once (wŭns)

while other words derived from one,

like only, alone, and atone, are pronounced with a long o?

Over time, stressed vowels commonly becomediphthongs,

as when Latin bona, the feminine singular of the adjective

meaning "good," became buona in Italian and buena in Spanish.

A similar diphthongization of one and once beganin the late Middle Ages in the west of England and in Wales and is firstrecorded around 1400.

The vowel sound underwent a series of changes,

such that the word's pronunciation went from (ōn) to (o͞oōn), with two syllables, to (wōn) to (wo͞on) to (wo͝on) and finally to (wŭn).

In southwest England, this diphthongization happened to other words beginning with the long o sound, such as oats, pronounced there now as (wŭts).

Only in one and once did this diphthongal pronunciation gain widespread usage.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary,

usage:

one meaning “any person indefinitely” is more formal than you,

in the same sense:

One (or you) should never give up hope.

When the pronoun must be repeated,

either one or a personal pronoun is used;

the latter is more common in the U.S.:

Wherever one looks, he or she finds industrial pollution.

In speech or informal writing, a form of they often occurs:

Can one read this without thinking of their own childhood?

In the construction one of those who (or that or which),

the antecedent of who is considered to be the plural form,

correctly followed by a plural verb:

one of those people who find fault.

Yet so strong is the feeling for one as antecedent that a singular verb is commonly found in all types of writing:

one of those people who finds fault.

When one is preceded by only in such a construction,

the singular verb is called for:

the only one of her sons who visits her. See also he1, they.

Collins COBUILD English Usage
one

1. used instead of a noun phrase

You can use one instead of a noun phrase beginning with a

when it is clear what sort of thing you are talking about.

For example, instead of saying 'If you want a drink, I'll get you a drink',

you say 'If you want a drink, I'll get you one'.

Although she wasn't a rich customer, she looked and acted like one.

The cupboards were empty except for one at the top of the bookshelves.

Be Careful!

You can't use a plural form of 'one' in this kind of sentence.

Don't say, for example, 'If you like grapes, I'll get you ones'.

Say 'If you like grapes, I'll get you some'.

The shelves contained Daisy's books, mostly novels but some on history and philosophy too.

We need more helicopters. There are some, but we need more.

2. used instead of a noun

You can use one or ones instead of a countable noun

when the noun comes after an adjective.

For example, instead of saying 'I've had this car a long time, and I'm thinking of getting a new car',

you say 'I've had this car a long time, and I'm thinking of getting a new one'.

I got this trumpet for thirty pounds. It's quite a good one.

This idea has become a very popular one.

We made money from buying old houses and building new ones.

You can also use one or ones instead of a countable noun

in front of a relative clause or a prepositional phrase.

Of all the subjects, science was the one I loved best.

Could I see that map again – the one with lines across it?

You can use one instead of a singular countable noun

when the noun comes immediately after any determiner

except 'a'.

For example, instead of saying 'I bought these masks when I was in Africa. That mask came from Kenya',

you say 'I bought these masks when I was in Africa. That one came from Kenya'.

We need to buy a new car. This one's too small.

He took the glasses and wrapped each one carefully.

She had a bowl of soup, then went back for another one.

Be Careful! 

Don't use 'the one' in front of 'of' and a name.

Don't say, for example, 'This is my mug. That's the one of Jane'.

You say 'This is my mug. That's Jane's'.

He has a northern accent like Brian's.

See one - you - we – they

Collins COBUILD English Usage

Oneyouwethey

1. 'one'

One is sometimes an impersonal pronoun,

showing that something is generally done or should generally be done.

One doesn't talk about politics at parties.

You can also use the possessive determiner one's and the reflexive pronoun oneself.

Naturally, one wants only the best for one's children.

We all understood the fear of making a fool of oneself.

One, one's, and oneself are fairly formal.

Here are some other ways in which you can say that something is generally done or should be done:

2. 'you'

You can use you, your, yours and yourself, as we usually do in this book.

There are things that have to be done and you do them and you never talk about them.

Ignoring your neighbours is rude.

3. 'we'

You can use we, us, our, ours, and ourselves

to say that something is generally done by a group of people that includes yourself.

We say things in the heat of an argument that we don't really mean.

There are things we can all do to make ourselves and our children happier.

4. 'they'

They can sometimes mean people in general,

or a group of people whose identity is not actually stated.

They found the body in the river.

Some people use they when they are mentioning a saying or repeating a piece of gossip.

They say that the camera never lies – but it doesn't always show the full picture.

He made a fortune, they say.

They, them, their, theirs, and themselves are also

used to refer to words such as everyone and anyone, person, child, and student.

See he - she - they

5. 'people'

You can use people. This is also a fairly common use.

People shouldn't leave jobs unfinished.

I don't think people should make promises they don't mean to keep.

6. the passive

Instead of using one of these words and an active verb,

you can sometimes use a passive verb.

This is a fairly common use in formal writing.

If there is increasing pain, medical advice should be taken.

Bookings must be made before the end of December.

Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary

One / one of

In phrases like “pistachio is one of the few flavors that appeals to me,”

use the singular form for the verb “appeals”

because its subject is “one,” not “flavors.”

One-Dimensional

Once upon a time most folks

knew that “three-dimensional” characters or ideas

were rounded, fleshed out, and complex

and “two-dimensional” ones were flat and uninteresting.

It seems that the knowledge of basic geometry hasdeclined

in recent years, because today we hearuninteresting characters and ideas described as “one-dimensional.”

According to Euclid, no object can be one-dimensional

(of course, according to modern physics,

even two dimensionality is only an abstract concept).

If you are still bothered by the notion

that two dimensions are one too many, just use“flat.”

One and the same

The old expression “they are one and the same”

is now often mangled into the roughly phonetic equivalent

“one in the same.”

The use of “one” here to mean “identical with each other”

is familiar from phrases like “Jane and John act as one.”

They are one; they are the same.

One of the few/only’

“Only” has its root in “one,”

as should be obvious from looking at it.

But we lose sight of this because of phrases

like “only a few” and “only some,”

which lead in turn to the mistaken “one of the only.”

“The only” always refers to just one item,

so the correct expression isone of the few.

Compare this with the similarly mistaken “very unique.”

Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression

“One of the& “if not the”

These expressions often occur in comparisons

but are frequently used ungrammatically:

“It was one of the first, if not the first, attempts to bring together these warring nations.”

The plural attempts is correct after one of the,

but how about “if not the first attempts”?

To correct this flaw, add of the:

“It was one of the first, if not the first, of the attempts……”

“If this correction distorts meaning, and it may,

then hold if not the for the end of the sentence,

“It was one of the first attempts to bring together these warring nations, if not the first.”

Another comment:

one of the is often a wordy, unnecessary expression:

“One of the ideas I have” can be shortened withoutloss

to “My idea” or “One idea I have.”

“One of those who”

Should the verb following this expression be singular or plural,

since one is singular and those is plural?

Because who refers to those, usea plural verb:

“Jack is one of those who are late.”

But if you were to say “Jack is the only one of those who were late,”

you would be correct in using a singular verb

because only one person was late.

“oneself” & “one’s self”

These expressions may be spelled and pronounced

as oneself or one’s self (wuhn’SELF, wunz’SELF).

Oneself is generally preferred because it is shorter

and easier to spell and pronounce:

“On this firing range, it is easy to hurt oneself.”

“It’s impossible to become a great tennis player by oneself.”

“In dangerous situations it is hard to be oneself.”