If you’ve ever stared at a sentence mid-write, wondering whether to type “others work” or “others working,” you’re not alone. I spend my days navigating this tiny, critical grammar quirk as an Others supplier—meaning every day, I need to draft clear, precise communication for clients, vendors, and our team, and that means getting this structure right. At its core, pairing “others” with a gerund (an -ing verb that acts as a noun) is about clarifying roles: when we talk about “others” doing something, the gerund ties that action directly to the group we’re referencing. It’s not just a grammar rule—it’s how I make sure my supply chain notes, client updates, and even casual check-ins don’t leave room for confusion. Let’s break this down with real, practical examples, no stuffy textbook jargon required. Others
First, let’s get the basics straight for anyone who might be new to this: a gerund is an -ing verb that functions as a noun, right? So “running” as a noun (the running of the team) or “sourcing” as a noun (our sourcing of materials) are gerunds. When we pair that with “others,” we’re talking about actions that a group separate from the speaker or the immediate subject is performing. The key here is two-fold: first, the “others” have to be a distinct group—think coworkers, other vendors, or teams not directly involved in the current task—and second, the gerund needs to link that group to their action without mixing up who is doing what.
For context, that line between “others” and “others doing” matters a lot in my line of work. Last month, I had a client reach out confused because I’d written, “Others sourcing lead times vary by region.” They thought I meant that my team was sourcing lead times, when actually I was referring to other third-party suppliers (the “others” in my network) whose timelines differed. That small missing link? It created a 24-hour delay in a shipment because they’d adjusted their expectations based on the misread. Once I corrected it to “others sourcing” (framed as “others’ sourcing,” which we’ll get to in a second), the clarity came right back. That’s the real-world stake here: this grammar trick isn’t just for essays—it’s for making sure supply chains run on time, clients don’t get the wrong info, and my own team knows who’s responsible for what.
Now, let’s talk about the two most common structures that work with “others” and a gerund, because that’s where most people trip up. The first is the possessive form: “others’ + gerund.” This is the most precise, because it makes clear that the action belongs to the “others” group. Think of it like “the team’s meeting” or “Lisa’s order”—add an apostrophe after the s in “others” to show ownership of the gerund (the action). Let’s test this with practical sentences you’d actually use in my business:
- “We prioritize our own delivery timelines, but we respect others’ working around local regulations.” That’s perfect. Here, “others’ working” makes it clear that other logistics teams (the “others”) are adjusting their own schedules to fit local rules, not my team being the ones working around regulations. No confusion, no misinterpretation.
- Another one: “Problems with inventory often stem from others’ miscommunicating shipment details.” Yep, that works. The “others’” tells you the miscommunication is coming from a separate party, not our internal team.
- A personal example from my own work: Last quarter, my team was tasked with auditing supply chain partners, and I wrote a progress note that said, “Our audit is moving quickly, and we’re verifying that others’ updating their documentation matches our standards.” That line gave my team exactly the context they needed—we’re checking that other vendors are updating their paperwork correctly, not that my team is updating theirs.
The second structure is when you don’t use the possessive, but only use “others + gerund.” This is less common, but totally correct when the group “others” is the subject performing the gerund action, and the context already makes clear they’re separate from the speaker. Let’s stick to supply chain examples here to keep it real:
- “Others working in cold-storage logistics have longer break times in extreme temperatures.” Here, “others” is the subject (other logistics workers, not my team), and “working” is the verb acting on that subject. No apostrophe needed here because “others” is doing the action, not owning a noun (though “working” is still acting like a noun here). You wouldn’t say “others’ working in cold-storage,” because that would imply the action belongs to them but isn’t the main verb. This sentence is talking about a characteristic of people who do that work, so the structure is “subject (others) + gerund (working)” which is correct.
- Another example for my line: “When lead times shift, others adjusting their production schedules often face unexpected costs.” Again, “others” is the subject here—other producers, not us—so pairing it directly with “adjusting” (the gerund) is right. This tells anyone reading that the people shifting production are separate from our team, which is critical for budgeting conversations.
Wait, let’s clear up the mistake I made with that client earlier. I’d written, “Others sourcing lead times vary by region.” Why was that wrong? Because without the possessive “others’,” the sentence is implying that “others” are the ones sourcing the lead times, not that the lead times belong to others. Adding the apostrophe makes it: “Others’ sourcing lead times vary by region.” That’s the fix that solved my client confusion, and it’s the same mistake I see people make all the time when they’re rushing to write quick notes for work. The good news is this is an easy fix: if you’re talking about actions that belong to a separate “others” group, add the apostrophe after the s to signal possession, and if “others” is the group performing the action, you don’t need the apostrophe—just pair them directly.
Let’s go through a few common mistakes to avoid, because even seasoned writers slip up here. First, don’t mix up the gerund with a regular verb. You’ll never hear me say, “Others source lead times vary” (that would be a regular verb, not a gerund, and it would make the sentence grammatically off). The gerund is key here because it turns the action into a noun that ties back to the group. Second, don’t overuse the possessive when it’s not needed. If you’re talking about others as the subject doing the action, like “Others working weekends is common in this industry,” adding an apostrophe would make it “Others’ working weekends…” which sounds stiff and incorrect. That sentence is about the action of working that others do, so no possessive is needed. Third, don’t use “other” instead of “others” when you’re referring to a plural group. “Other working…” is wrong, because “other” is singular when it’s not part of a pair—you need the plural “others” to refer to a group of people or entities separate from you.
Now, let’s tie this back to why this matters beyond grammar. As an Others supplier, my whole business is built on managing relationships with other vendors, partners, and third-party teams. If I’m sending an update about a project to a client, a misstep in this sentence structure can mean they think my team is responsible for a delay that’s actually another supplier’s fault. Or if I’m communicating with my own staff, a confusing line about “others working overtime” can lead to overtime budget being allocated to the wrong group. This isn’t just grammar for grammar’s sake—it’s clear communication that keeps my business running smoothly. I make it a point to run any line with “others” and a gerund past a quick check: is this action belonging to others, or being done by others? If it’s belonging, add the apostrophe. If it’s being done, just pair the two.
Let’s wrap up with a few more real sentences from my work to make this stick, so you can see how it applies beyond just textbook examples:
- Correct (possessive, action belongs to others): “Our warehouse team is upgrading our security system, and we’re coordinating with others’ adjusting their protocols to avoid conflicts.” Here, “others’ adjusting” means other facilities’ security teams are changing their protocols, so we need to avoid overlapping work. That’s exactly the line I sent my operations team last month, and it made our coordination seamless.
- Correct (no possessive, others are the subject): “Others negotiating long-term contracts with carriers often lock in lower rates than we can get for one-off shipments.” This tells anyone reading that our competitors (the “others”) are the ones negotiating, not us, which is key for pricing strategy.
- Correct (possessive, no confusion): “Customer complaints about delivery delays almost always stem from others’ mismanaging last-mile routes.” This line eliminates any blame on my team, because it’s clear the mismanagement comes from another delivery provider.
- Common mistake to avoid: “Others mismanage last-mile routes” (missing the possessive). This would make it sound like “others” themselves are mismanaging routes, which is grammatically correct but doesn’t signal that those “others” are separate from my team. In a client update, that difference is tiny but critical—adding the apostrophe clarifies that we’re talking about a third party, not our own team.
At the end of the day, mastering “others” and gerunds is just about being intentional with words. For me, as a supplier who relies on clear communication to build trust with clients and partners, it’s a small skill that makes a huge difference. If you’re someone who works with multiple teams or vendors too, I’d encourage you to test out these structures in your own updates. And if you’re looking for a partner to help streamline your supply chain communication, or just need help refining those lines that always feel a little confusing, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’ve spent years perfecting this kind of clear, precise language for my work, and I’m happy to help you do the same.
Aluminum Round Bar References
- The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. (n.d.). Gerunds and Possessives. Retrieved from grammarbook.com (Note: This is a core grammar resource for professional writers, covering the rule that possessive nouns precede gerunds to show ownership of the action.)
- Crystal, D. (2004). A Dictionary of Modern English Usage. Oxford University Press. (Covers the distinction between plural “others” as a subject vs. a possessive group in conversational and professional writing.)
- Supply Chain Communication Playbook. (2022). Association for Supply Chain Management. (Industry-specific guide for clear, unambiguous communication in logistics and vendor relationships.)
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