another還是the other

請看下面的一道題，是考查one…the other還是考查one…another?

Her lecture was hard to follow because she kept jumping from one subject to _________.

A. other                        B. the other                        C. the others                        D. another

【分析】此題容易死套搭配 one … the other…而誤選B，其實最佳答案為D。使用one…the other … 時，我們通常是針對兩者而言的，即指“兩者中的一個……，另一個……”；如果所談論的情況不是針對兩者而言的，而是針對多者而言的，那么我們就不宜在 one 后使用 the other，而考慮用 another。又如(答案均選D，即選 another)：

(1) Those cakes are wonderful. Could I have _________ one?

A. other                       B. the other                 C. the others                 D. another

(2) I have many such novels. I’ll bring _________ tomorrow.

A. other                       B. the other                 C. the others                 D. another

(3) Saying is one thing and doing is _________.

A. other                       B. the other                 C. the others                 D. another

比較以下各例：

(1) Shut _________ eye, Jim.

A. another                    B. some other              C. other                       D. the other

答案選D，因為人的眼睛只有兩只，故用 one…the other 結構。

(2) It’s sometimes hard to tell one twin from _________.

A. another                    B. some other              C. other                       D. the other

答案選D，twin 意為“孿生子之一”、“雙胞胎之一”，即指兩者之一，故用 one…the other 這一結構。