Let’s cut to the chase—if you’ve ever stared at the word “others” mid-sentence, second-guessing whether it fits right, especially when you’re pairing it with a verb phrase? Yeah, I’ve been there too. As someone who runs an “others” supplier (you know, the one that stocks all those little, essential, easy-to-overlook parts that make every assembly line or small project run smooth), I’ve had more than a few clients hit me up confused about how to actually use “others” with a verb phrase correctly. Most people mess up not because they don’t know what “others” means (it’s just the plural of “another,” right? For additional or different items/people), but because they rush the verb phrase part—they don’t connect the action to who or what exactly “others” is referring to. That’s why today, I’m breaking this down like I would for a new client standing in my warehouse, surrounded by bins of fasteners, connectors, and those random parts no one else wants to stock. No stuffy grammar rules, just real examples and stuff I actually use when I’m writing product descriptions or chatting with buyers. Others
First, let’s get one super basic thing out of the way: “others” is a pronoun, not an adjective (that’s “other,” by the way—big difference). Pronouns replace plural nouns, so when you use “others,” you have to make sure the verb phrase you pair with it matches what “others” is standing in for. If “others” refers to people? The verb phrase has to be plural (think “are,” “work,” “need”). If it refers to things? Same rule, but sometimes people mix up count vs. non-count, which trips them up. Wait—wait, no, “others” is always plural, so it’s for plural nouns. Like, if I say “our top-selling connectors are blue; others are red”—“others” = “other connectors,” plural, so “are” works here. But if you say “others is”… that’s a red flag, even if you hear some people say it in casual speech for things that feel like a single group. Grammar snobs might side-eye that, and if you’re writing a product spec or a contract? You don’t want that headache.
Now, the fun part: pairing “others” with verb phrases without sounding like a robot. Most mistakes happen when people don’t specify what “others” is doing—they leave the verb phrase hanging. Let’s take an example. A lot of my clients send me texts like “We ordered your plastic brackets, but others arrived damaged.” Wait, that’s a little vague. “Others” = other brackets? Other parts? Other shipments? If I get that, I have to follow up, which slows down the order. If you’re writing that sentence (say, for a follow-up email to a supplier like me), you want to tie the verb phrase directly to what “others” stands for. So make it “The plastic brackets we got: yours arrived intact, others arrived damaged.” Now “others” is clearly “other brackets,” and “arrived” is a simple past tense verb phrase that fits. See how that works? The verb phrase isn’t just there—it shows the action that “others” is taking (or not taking, here).
Wait, but what if you’re talking about ongoing actions? Like, “Our shipping bins get loaded first; others are waiting for parts.” That’s good too. “Others” = other bins, verb phrase “are waiting” is present continuous, which makes sense for an ongoing action. No confusion there. But here’s where people mess up: if you shift tenses mid-sentence with “others” and the verb phrase, it gets jarring. Like, “We stocked our custom clips last week; others were sitting in the warehouse.” No, wait—you switched from past tense (“stocked”) to past continuous (“were sitting”) for no reason, and it makes the timeline fuzzy. Make it “We stocked our custom clips last week; others sat in the warehouse for three more days” and that’s smooth—both verb phrases are simple past, so “others” (other clips) is clearly doing the same action the main subject is, just at a different time.
I’ve seen this so much when writing product descriptions, too. Let’s say I’m listing my inventory: “We carry stainless steel screws for automotive builds, wood screws for furniture, others fit both jobs.” That’s off. The verb phrase “fit” is plural, which works for “others,” but wait—no, I didn’t specify that “others” are screws. So rework that to “We carry stainless steel screws for automotive builds, wood screws for furniture, and others that fit both jobs.” Now the verb phrase “that fit” ties “others” directly to the screws, so no one is guessing. That’s the kind of clear language that saves both my clients and me a ton of time—no follow-up questions, no returned parts because someone ordered the wrong thing.
Another common misstep: using a transitive verb phrase (one that needs an object) with “others” like “others need.” Wait, no—“others need what?” If you leave the object off, it’s okay if it’s obvious from context, but if not, it’s vague. Let’s say a client emails: “I need fasteners; others are backordered.” That works—“others” = other fasteners, object is implied (fasteners), so you get the point. But if you say “I need fasteners; others are backordered the washers”… that’s wrong. Because now “others” would be standing in for something that can take “the washers” as an object, but that doesn’t make sense. So keep it simple: if the verb phrase needs an object, make sure it’s clear what “others” refers to, or don’t include the object if context already says it all.
Wait, let’s talk about casual speech vs. formal writing, because I know not everyone needs to write a white paper for their company. When I’m chatting with a regular buyer on the phone, I’ll say “Your parts will ship tomorrow—others are already out the door.” That’s totally fine, right? It’s conversational, “others” refers to other orders, verb phrase “are already out the door” is natural. No one is gonna call me out for that. But if I’m writing a formal purchase order note, I’d make it “The customer’s requested brackets will ship on [date]; other orders of standard fasteners have already departed our loading dock.” Now that’s clear, and it avoids any ambiguity, which is key for contracts and invoices. That’s why I always tell my clients: match the verb phrase and the “others” referent to the tone of what you’re writing. If it’s casual, you can be looser, but if it’s official, spell it out.
I also want to address a thing I see all the time with new small business owners—they overcomplicate “others” with verb phrases. Like, they’ll write “Others amongst the parts that we supply are frequently used in medical device manufacturing.” No, that’s awkward. Rework that to “Other parts we supply are frequently used in medical device manufacturing.” See? Same meaning, way less clunky, verb phrase “are frequently used” pairs perfectly with “other parts” (which is what “others” would be if you rephrased it). You don’t need fancy words when simple ones work, especially when you’re talking about a small, focused supplier like me—we’re all about clarity here, no jargon.
Wait, let’s do a quick test. Let’s make a sentence that’s wrong, then fix it, so you can see how the verb phrase changes when we adjust “others.” Wrong: “Others is sold in packs of 10 for bulk orders.” First, “others” is plural, so “is” is wrong. Second, no one knows what “others” is. Fixed: “Other fasteners are sold in packs of 10 for bulk orders.” Perfect. Verb phrase “are sold” matches plural “other fasteners,” and now you know exactly what’s in packs of 10. Another wrong one: “I ordered 50 hinge pins; others arrived missing their packaging.” Fixed: “I ordered 50 hinge pins from you; other pins arrived missing their packaging.” Now “others” is clearly “other hinge pins,” verb phrase “arrived” makes sense, no confusion about who the seller is or what’s missing.
As an others supplier, this stuff matters to me because my customers’ success is my success. If someone misuses “others” with a verb phrase and messes up an order, that’s a bad look for both of us. So when I’m writing my own product updates or emails to buyers, I stick to these three rules, and they’ve never failed me: 1) Always make “others” refer to a plural noun (people, parts, orders—anything more than one), so the verb phrase is plural (are, work, need, arrived, etc.). 2) Tie “others” directly to the action of the verb phrase—don’t leave the action hanging, so people know exactly what’s doing the action. 3) Match the verb phrase tense and tone to what you’re writing—casual for texts and quick emails, clear and specific for official docs.
Let me give you a few real examples from my own work, so you can see this in action. Last month, a client sent me this: “Your rubber gaskets came yesterday, but others are delayed because of a factory mix-up.” That’s actually pretty good—“others” = other gaskets, verb phrase “are delayed” is plural, clear, no ambiguity. But if they’d written “Others is delayed because of a mix-up” that would’ve been a problem, because I would’ve thought they were talking about a single part, and I’d have to follow up to clarify, which costs me time. Another one: I wrote a newsletter to all my regular buyers last week: “We just restocked our nylon zip ties—others are already going out to our repeat construction clients.” That’s casual, fits a newsletter, “others” = other zip ties, verb phrase “are already going out” is natural, no fancy grammar needed.
One more common mistake people make when “others” is paired with a phrasal verb, right? Phrasal verbs are like “look up,” “put back,” “ship out”—two-word verb phrases. Let’s say someone writes “Others ran out last week.” Wait, that’s okay if context says “other parts,” but if you don’t specify, it’s vague. But if you write “Other fasteners ran out last week,” that’s clear. But if you mess up the phrasal verb? Like “Others ran off last week”… that would mean other parts left on their own, which is impossible here. So make sure the phrasal verb makes sense for what “others” refers to. If you’re talking about people, “ran off” works; if you’re talking about parts, you want a phrasal verb like “ran out” (meaning sold out). That’s a tiny detail, but it makes all the difference.
At the end of the day, grammar isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being understood. That’s why I don’t care if you use “others” with a verb phrase in a casual text or a formal proposal, as long as it’s clear. I’m here to supply the parts you need, and I’m here to chat if you ever have questions about wording, parts, or anything in between. If you’re looking for reliable “others” parts—whether that’s small hardware, packing components, or those random bits that make your project work—hit me up to discuss your needs. No pressure, no hidden fees, just straight talk and quality products.
API References:
- Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). "Others" definition and usage. Retrieved from cambridge.org
- Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Pronoun usage: "others" in sentences. Retrieved from merriam-webster.com
- The Chicago Manual of Style. (17th ed.). (2017). Section 5.20: Pronoun reference for plural nouns.
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