“One of them” Examples – “One of us” Examples

October 3, 2023July 5, 2021 by hrenglish

Dear readers, we have already discussed in the previous post how to use the phrase “One of the” in a sentence. Now I tell you how similar phrases like “One of us” and One of them” are used in sentences. Though they have a different structure, they follow the same rules as the phrase “One of the” does.

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Now we are going to discuss these phrases in detail with regard to their structures and literal differences. I am sure it will eliminate your doubts and confusions about their usages and make you adept in using these two phrases with a clear difference.

“One of them” Examples – “One of us” Examples

Structures of the phrases “One of us” and “One of them”

Both phrases are structurally different from each other but follow the same rules in usage. The difference in the phrase can be seen in the following examples:

Numeral Adjective + Preposition + Objective Pronoun = Phrase

Example 1: One + of + us = One of us

Example 2: One + of + them = One of them

In the above examples, the word “One” is a numeral adjective. The word “of” is a preposition and the words “us” and “them” are pronouns in the objective case.

Difference between “One of them” and “One of the”

Grammatically, if we compare both phrases, we shall find that these two phrases have the first two common words i.e. “One” and “of”, but the difference lies in the word that comes after the preposition “of”. The phrase “One of the” is always followed by a plural noun whereas the phrase “One of” is followed by a plural objective pronoun. Thus, in both phrases, the word “of” is always followed by the plural forms of the words. Study the following examples and note the differences:

Example 1: One of the tables, One of the camels, One of the clients, One of the best architects, etc.

Example 2: One of us, One of them, etc.

The difference is visibly clear in the above examples. The phrase “One of” is either followed by a noun or a pronoun. The use of nouns and pronouns is noticeable. In both cases, the phrase “One of” is followed by only the plural forms of either a noun or a pronoun.

The most important part of the phrase “One of them” is the use of pronouns in objective cases. Each pronoun has its four forms i.e. Subjective, objective, possessive and reflexive.

Here, we have to be very careful in using the correct form of the pronoun i.e. objective form. If you use the subjective or the possessive form of the pronoun, the phrase will become grammatically incorrect. We shall discuss in detail the forms/cases of pronouns in some other posts. So wait for it and stay connected with us.

What is the meaning of the phrases “One of us” and “One of them”?

The phrases “One of them” and “One of us” point out that one person from the group is not like others. He or she is different from others in some respect. These phrases pick up a person from a class or group and show that he or she lacks or excels in something from others. For example:

Example 1: One of us could not attend the meeting with the chairperson.

Example 2. The manager called one of them and appreciated his initiative.

The first example shows that only one person from the group failed to attend the meeting while others attended the meeting. The phrase is pointing out one person from the group who could not do like others.

The second example specifies one person from the group who excels in some way from others and deserves appreciation.

“One of them” and “One of us” rules – How to use the phrase in a sentence?

The following rules will help you form the sentences with correct grammatical accuracy. Stick to them and make sentences accordingly.

The phrases “One of us” and “One of them” are always used either as a subject or as an object.
The phrase always takes a singular verb in a sentence.
The phrase “One of” is always followed by a plural pronoun in the objective case.
No article is used before the phrases “One of us” and “One of them”.
The phrase can be used with any tense i.e. Past, Present, or Future.
The phrases “One of us” and “One of them” are a set of three words. No other word can be inserted between the first and the last words of the phrase.

“One of us” Examples

Below are given some examples of the above phrases.

One of us won the race and received Dublin Award.
We were invited to dinner in the Ashoka Hotel. One of us was not given entry as he had a severe cough.
The teacher caught one of us using unfair means in the examination.
One of us lost the passport at the airport.
One of us repeatedly asked the stranger the way to the cave but he kept quiet.