How to Use 'Between' and 'Among'
2021-05-29
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1Akira writes,
2When I learned about prepositions in junior high school about 70 years ago, it was taught that "between" is used to describe two things and "among" is used with three things or more.
3Is my memory correct?*
4Dear Akira,
5Thank you for your question.
6Your memory is excellent.
7And your teacher gave some helpful guidance on using these two important prepositions.
8Prepositions - words or groups of words that are used with nouns, noun phrases, or pronouns to show direction, location, and so on - are a difficult subject.
9They sometimes have clear uses and differences, but sometimes they share meanings with other prepositions.
10We will explore that idea later.
11Let's start with among.
12Many of the uses of among center on the idea of a group of people or things.
13For example, news stories for over a year have had language such as:
14The coronavirus is spreading quickly among members of the community.
15In this case, among means in or through a group of people.
16Among can also be used to show that a group of people or things is involved in, or affected by something, as in:
17The new rules have led to increased competition among local businesses.
18And among can mean in the presence of a group of people.
19News stories often carry language such as:
20The prime minister was standing among his supporters.
21Between often carries the idea of a separation, as in:
22The ball is between the tree and the house.
23In this case, between means in the space that separates two things - the tree and the house.
24Between can also mean in the time that separates two actions or events, as in:
25If you want to stay healthy, you should drink plenty of water between meals.
26In many cases, among is used for a group of things or people, and between is used for two things or people.
27But the difference in meaning is not always so clear.
28In some cases, between and among have pretty much the same meaning.
29Consider these two statements, both of which appear in Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary:
30They compared the cars but found few differences between them.
31They compared several new cars but found few differences among them.
32In both cases, the preposition shows the group of things that are being considered or compared.
33As with many issues in English, there are general rules or meanings.... and there are exceptions to those general rules and meanings.
34If you have a question for our staff of teachers, send it by email to learningenglish@voanews.com.
35And that's Ask a Teacher!
36I'm John Russell.
1Question: 2Akira writes, 3When I learned about prepositions in junior high school about 70 years ago, it was taught that "between" is used to describe two things and "among" is used with three things or more. Is my memory correct?* 4Answer: 5Dear Akira, 6Thank you for your question. Your memory is excellent. And your teacher gave some helpful guidance on using these two important prepositions. 7Prepositions - words or groups of words that are used with nouns, noun phrases, or pronouns to show direction, location, and so on - are a difficult subject. They sometimes have clear uses and differences, but sometimes they share meanings with other prepositions. We will explore that idea later. 8Among 9Let's start with among. Many of the uses of among center on the idea of a group of people or things. 10For example, news stories for over a year have had language such as: 11The coronavirus is spreading quickly among members of the community. 12In this case, among means in or through a group of people. Among can also be used to show that a group of people or things is involved in, or affected by something, as in: 13The new rules have led to increased competition among local businesses. 14And among can mean in the presence of a group of people. News stories often carry language such as: 15The prime minister was standing among his supporters. 16Between 17Between often carries the idea of a separation, as in: 18The ball is between the tree and the house. 19In this case, between means in the space that separates two things - the tree and the house. 20Between can also mean in the time that separates two actions or events, as in: 21If you want to stay healthy, you should drink plenty of water between meals. 22Sometimes a similar meaning 23In many cases, among is used for a group of things or people, and between is used for two things or people. 24But the difference in meaning is not always so clear. 25In some cases, between and among have pretty much the same meaning. Consider these two statements, both of which appear in Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary: 26They compared the cars but found few differences between them. 27They compared several new cars but found few differences among them. 28In both cases, the preposition shows the group of things that are being considered or compared. 29As with many issues in English, there are general rules or meanings.... and there are exceptions to those general rules and meanings. If you have a question for our staff of teachers, send it by email to learningenglish@voanews.com. 30And that's Ask a Teacher! 31I'm John Russell. 32John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 33*For the purposes of the report, Akira's note has been paraphrased. 34_____________________________________________________________ 35Words in This Story 36exception - n. a case where a rule does not apply