I was one of the two vs I was the one of the two

The correct phrase is 'I was one of the two.' The use of 'the' before 'one' is incorrect in this context. 'One of the two' is a common expression used to indicate being part of a pair or a small group.

Last updated: March 26, 2024 • 3875 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"I was one of the two"

This phrase is used to indicate that the speaker was part of a pair or a small group. It implies a comparison between two individuals or items.

Show examples from the web [+]

One would expect him to pretend that I was one of the two, but in the end he told me, rather plainly, that I was not.
I knew it was one of the two.
I mean, that was one of the two things we were good at.
The only thing that I just heard was I'm one of the top two artists.
Globally, 2010 was one of the two hottest years in recorded history.
Remember last year when everyone thought Gina Palacando was one of the two girls one cup chicks?
I have it on good authority that a James Darmody of Atlantic City was one of the two shooters.
The Swedish Minister was one of the two ministers leading that group and I can say for sure that Europe was trying to push this very hard.
It was one of the two remaining capital cities where no Europe House had been established.
It was one of two reasons.
Your umbrella was one of two weapons used to kill her.
Paxton was one of two people whose irises were hard-coded into the devices.
And the instructor I used is mick Gould, who was one of the two instructors I had for all the close-quarter combat that we did.
The predecessor of FSO had been in business in Poland since the 1950s and was one of the two largest Polish car manufacturers.
He was one of two people sent an advance copy; Author's request.
This man was one of two who came bearing the Sword of Osman as proof of your endorsement.
It was one of two that have been missing in space for over 2 years now.
The crate we found the chrysalis in was one of two items registered to the Japanese Vessel Miyazaki, out of Hokkaido.
And the map's only showing one of the two remaining.
I'm at one of the two intersecting points.

Alternatives:

I was one of the two people.
I was one of the two options.
I was one of the two finalists.
I was one of the two choices.
I was one of the two candidates.

This phrase is incorrect in English. The use of 'the' before 'one' is not appropriate in this context.

"I was the one of the two"

Show examples from the web [+]

I was the one in jail for two years, Wayne.
Danny said that Matt was the one who found the two hours of footage missing.
Danny said that Matt was the one who found the two hours of footage missing.
The one of you two together.
One would expect him to pretend that I was one of the two, but in the end he told me, rather plainly, that I was not.
And the map's only showing one of the two remaining.
I'm at one of the two intersecting points.
One of the two times she was wrong, Captain.
I knew it was one of the two.
Only one of the two companies was able to demonstrate this.
One of the two among us.
I shoot one of the two boys in bed.
One of the two aspects of this problem are very intriguing.
Unfortunately, it's not one of the two Indian gentlemen you mentioned earlier.
I'm at one of the two intersecting points.
You're one of the two brains.
He's one of the two men we found in the basement.
One of the two brother actors.
That's one of the two guys that were shadowing Maslin.
That's one of the two guys that were shadowing Maslin.

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I was one of the two vs I was the one of the two