3

Somebody asked me about this sentence:

My business is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and others.

I know that it should be "...and other holidays", but I'm struggling to explain why.

Is this sentence grammatically incorrect? If so, is there a specific rule that's being violated? Or is it grammatically correct but semantically nonsensical? Or something else?

Improve this question
0

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3

Grammatically it's okay because you could say, e.g.

I spoke to John, Mary and others.

As far as I am aware 'others' when used as a pronoun, conventionally only ever refers to people. I don't think it would apply to family pets - maybe not even young children. Thus I would say it is an idiomatic usage.

Note: Please refer to remarks in the comments below this question for further insights.

Improve this answer
4
  • @KannE - Could you give examples?
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Feb 28, 2019 at 8:59
  • 1
    "She left us six pears; this one is riper than the others". Note that "others" is a common noun, not a pronoun.
    – BillJ
    Feb 28, 2019 at 9:15
  • @BillJ - Good point. I've amended my answer. Could you check I'm correct now. Thanks
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Feb 28, 2019 at 13:53
  • 1
    @KannE - Ah yes, that makes sense. I've made a note in my answer about these comments.
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Feb 28, 2019 at 19:03
2

In this specific example “others” is not grammatically correct. It needs “holidays” in there somewhere.

“... other holidays.” would be fine. So would “... most holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and others.”

Notable exceptions to this rule would be headlines and signs, which routinely break normal grammatical rules in the interest of brevity.

Improve this answer
2
  • Thanks for the reply. Like I mentioned in my question, I know that it needs "holidays" in there somewhere- but why is it wrong? Is there a specific grammar rule that's being violated?
    – Kevin Workman
    Feb 28, 2019 at 17:03
  • 1
    KannE had an excellent comment previously about antecedents. I was merely providing a couple of relevant options to illustrate. (I suppose I should have posted a comment after his/hers rather than an answer but as a newbie I wasn’t allowed to comment at that point.). I appreciate your reference to semantic nonsense. But your original example sentence is reasonably clear, just missing an important element. As subsets of the implied word “holidays”, “Christmas” and “Thanksgiving” lead us in the right direction to figure the sentence out, but stop short of providing us with a true antecedent.
    – Pegasus
    Feb 28, 2019 at 17:19

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.