{"id":3614,"date":"2026-10-21T18:54:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T10:54:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nobetciecza.com\/blog\/?p=3614"},"modified":"2026-10-21T18:54:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T10:54:56","slug":"how-to-use-others-in-a-sentence-with-a-gerundive-phrase-4390-04577e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.nobetciecza.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/21\/how-to-use-others-in-a-sentence-with-a-gerundive-phrase-4390-04577e\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use ‘others’ in a sentence with a gerundive phrase?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey guys, let\u2019s cut to the chase. If you\u2019re in manufacturing, industrial parts sourcing, or even just tinkering with supply chain jargon for your team, you\u2019ve probably stumbled on two messy little things lately: the pronoun \u201cothers\u201d and gerundive phrases. I\u2019m Jake, and I run a small \u201cothers\u201d supply shop\u2014yep, the place that\u2019s not the big-name fasteners or rubber seals, but the tiny, random, make-or-break parts no one else stocks. And half the time, I\u2019m also the one fielding confused emails: \u201cWait, do I say \u2018others shipping\u2019 or \u2018others\u2019 shipping? Which is grammatically right? And how does that even tie to my order?\u201d Others<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s keep this real\u2014no stuffy grammar textbooks here. Gerundive phrases (for anyone who\u2019s napping through middle school English, that\u2019s just a verb ending in -ing acting like an adjective, right? Like \u201cthe parts needing restocking\u201d or \u201cteams handling deliveries\u201d) pair with pronouns like \u201cothers\u201d way more often than you\u2019d think, especially when you\u2019re talking about groups of parts or supplies. And since I live and breathe \u201cothers\u201d (you know, those oddball components that aren\u2019t the primary line item but make every assembly work), I\u2019ve messed this up a hundred times when drafting order confirmations, vendor shoutouts, and even my own supplier agreements. So let\u2019s turn this confusion into something useful, no fluff.<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s nail the basics: \u201cothers\u201d here isn\u2019t just the generic \u201cother people\u201d pronoun. For us in supply chain, it\u2019s the shorthand for \u201cother parts\u201d or \u201cother components\u201d\u20149 times out of 10, when I talk to clients, they\u2019re not referencing coworkers; they\u2019re referencing the extra, non-core \u201cothers\u201d I stock. That\u2019s the key mistake most people make with this phrase: they\u2019re not thinking about the context, they\u2019re just reciting a grammar rule. So let\u2019s ground this in actual stuff we deal with, not made-up sentences.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the right way to use \u201cothers\u201d with a gerundive phrase. Let\u2019s take a common order scenario: you\u2019re checking in on a bulk hardware order, and your primary parts are already en route, but you\u2019re waiting on the random \u201cothers\u201d that hold your assembly together. Here\u2019s a natural sentence: \u201cWe\u2019re prioritizing the primary fasteners, but others shipping to your warehouse next week will make up the remaining 12% of your kit.\u201d Wait, why is that \u201cothers shipping\u201d and not \u201cothers\u2019 shipping\u201d? Let\u2019s break the grammar slow, no jargon. When the gerundive phrase is describing what the \u201cothers\u201d are doing (their action\u2014shipping), you use the structure where the \u201cothers\u201d acts as the subject of the gerund. It\u2019s not possessive here; it\u2019s just saying, \u201cthe other parts [that are] shipping.\u201d That\u2019s why that works. I\u2019ve seen so many suppliers mess this up, writing \u201cothers\u2019 shipping\u201d when they mean the actual, upcoming shipment of the other parts\u2014sounds awkward, makes clients second-guess the timeline.<\/p>\n

Wait, let\u2019s test another one for our line of work. Suppose I\u2019m promoting a new bulk deal to a fabrication shop: \u201cWe stock steel brackets, aluminum spacers, and others fitting \u00be-inch shafts that most big suppliers skip.\u201d Oh, that\u2019s perfect. The gerundive phrase here is \u201cfitting \u00be-inch shafts,\u201d and it\u2019s directly describing the \u201cothers\u201d (the parts) I sell. No apostrophes, no weird tense mix-up. That\u2019s exactly how I\u2019d word a social media post for my shop, which is way more natural than a stuffy grammar guide sentence.<\/p>\n

Now, the common mistake that trips everyone up: when do you add an apostrophe? Let\u2019s be clear\u2014you only need the possessive \u201cothers\u2019\u201d if the gerundive phrase is describing something the \u201cothers\u201d own<\/em>, not something the \u201cothers\u201d are doing or being. Let\u2019s make that concrete with a bad example (I\u2019ve actually used this by accident once, so I know the cringe): \u201cOthers shipping details are available on our order portal.\u201d No, that\u2019s wrong. Wait, why? Because \u201cothers shipping details\u201d would mean the other parts<\/em> own the shipping details? That doesn\u2019t make sense. Fix that: \u201cShipping details for others are available on our order portal\u201d or \u201cThe details of others\u2019 shipping timelines are posted here.\u201d See the difference? When the details belong to the shipments of the other parts, you add the possessive apostrophe. But 9 out of 10 times, when my clients are talking about their \u201cothers\u201d (our parts), they\u2019re not talking about possession\u2014they\u2019re talking about the parts themselves, or the parts\u2019 actions, so the apostrophe is a waste and sounds off.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s circle back to why this matters for you<\/em>, especially if you\u2019re a purchaser of \u201cothers\u201d (or any industrial parts, tbh). I\u2019ve had two clients this month send back order confirmations because I messed up the grammar. One client, a small robotics shop, said, \u201cYour line about \u2018others\u2019 shipping\u2019 made me think the parts were lost, not en route\u2014apostrophe placement felt unprofessional.\u201d Another, a HVAC supply firm, said, \u201cI thought \u2018others shipping\u2019 was a typo for \u2018other\u2019s\u2019 and almost deleted the email.\u201d So this isn\u2019t just grammar gatekeeping\u2014it\u2019s how clear your supply chain communications are, and how trustworthy you sound when you\u2019re sourcing random, hard-to-find parts.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s throw in a few real, usable sentences that I actually use in my day-to-day (no textbook stuff, promise):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    When updating a client on a backorder: \u201cThe primary motor parts are here, but others arriving on the 17th will get your custom HVAC units out on time.\u201d That\u2019s exactly how I shoot off a quick text or Slack message\u2014no fancy language, clear, uses the gerundive phrase \u201carriving\u201d to describe the \u201cothers\u201d (our parts). No apostrophe, no confusion.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    When listing inventory on my shop\u2019s site: \u201cStock includes 50lb rubber gaskets, stainless steel retaining rings, and others fitting 1-inch hydraulic ports.\u201d Yep, that\u2019s my actual product line blurb. It uses the gerundive phrase \u201cfitting\u201d to tell clients exactly what the \u201cothers\u201d work with. Super clear, no extra words.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    When negotiating a rush order: \u201cWe can bump up others shipping if you cover the 15% rush fee for custom parts.\u201d That\u2019s a line I use all the time with fabrication shops. It\u2019s short, it\u2019s direct, and there\u2019s zero confusion about which parts we\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Wait, let\u2019s clear up one more edge case that I messed up for years\u2014when \u201cothers\u201d is used to refer to people, not parts, but you still pair it with a gerundive phrase. But let\u2019s be real, that\u2019s not our wheelhouse here. My whole shop is \u201cothers\u201d (parts), so 99% of the time, when we use \u201cothers,\u201d it\u2019s parts. But just for completeness, if you\u2019re in a different field, like event planning, you might say \u201cothers handling setup have arrived\u201d \u2014 that\u2019s the same structure: \u201cothers\u201d (people) as the subject of the gerund \u201chandling.\u201d But again, for our supply chain crew, that\u2019s not what we need to worry about.<\/p>\n

    Now, let\u2019s talk about why so many people get this wrong. It\u2019s easy to overcomplicate possessives. A lot of grammar guides will tell you \u201cuse an apostrophe before a gerundive phrase if the noun is the subject of the possessive\u201d \u2014 but for our casual, work-focused communication, you can simplify that. If the gerundive phrase is telling you what the \u201cothers\u201d are (their function), doing (their action), or where they\u2019re going, you don\u2019t need an apostrophe. Only when the phrase is describing something the \u201cothers\u201d own (like costs, details, timelines of the other parts<\/em>) do you need the apostrophe. Save that for official contracts, not Slack messages to your vendor.<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s a quick cheat sheet I keep on my desk at the shop, because I\u2019m forgetful (and if you\u2019re in supply chain, you\u2019re forgetful too):<\/p>\n