Can you explain to me when it is more appropriate to use it or one in the following sentence?
One/it should warn about the conflicts.
I don't think there's a big deal using one or another because the meaning will be exactly the same.
Tell me more
×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for
linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
|
|
|||||||||||
|
closed as general reference by FumbleFingers, kiamlaluno, MετάEd, Matt Эллен, StoneyB Sep 22 '12 at 13:44
This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.
|
The meaning is not exactly the same. One used as a pronoun indicates an unspecified single person, whereas it indicates a specific object or collective. It's hard to tell exactly what the context is here with such a short quote, but
means that someone should warn others about the conflicts.
means that a device or software program, or perhaps office or organization, which was previously being discussed, should warn about the conflicts. |
|||
|
|
|
"One" should be used exclusively to refer to people (or people-like things - pets, etc). "It" should never be used to refer to people. Caveat: "One" can refer to non-people-like things in cases like, "One should warn about conflicts and the other should do something else". |
|||
|
|
