Between and among feud

Question

Hi, dear teachers. I raked over old ashes and found something I need mull over a tad. So I decided to create a new thread here.

The choices are A, B, and C.
Which is the correct answer between the different choices?
Which is the correct answer among the different choices?

Well, as I stated (or rather, Oxford dictionary stated) "between" can be used in situations where there are more than two things which have one-to-one relationship and quite separable, while "among" is used for more "unsorted, general" collected and undefined sets of items. Thus I tend to use "between" since the choices have been clearly provided. But something perturbs me and I can't define what it is. Could you help me out and tell me whether I am correct with my cocnlusions or not? Thank you so much in advance.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

I don't quite get what you're getting at, but I only like the 2nd example.

Fandorin · Answer

What I meant was that we say somebody or something is between several clearly separate people or things.
I meant "Our house is between the lake, the wood and the river".

Since choices were specified, I thought the first one would do as well. Thank you, Mr. Micawber.

Mister Micawber · Answer

Our house is between the lake, the wood and the river-- The location of this house is impossible for me to imagine.

Fandorin · Answer

Oops... Our house is between the wood, the river and the village. I torn it out of Swan's book where he used it instead of "among".

LouiseT · Answer

Hello Fandorin

I hope this will help you. It is from the Cambridge Dictionary.

between

preposition adverb (SPACE)

- in or into the space which separates two places, people or objects

The town lies halfway between Rome and Florence.

Standing between the two adults was a small child.

She squeezed between the parked cars and ran out into the road.

A narrow path ran in between the two house

preposition adverb (AMOUNT)

If something is between two amounts, it is greater than the first amount but smaller than the second

She weighs between 55 and 60 kilograms.

The competition is open to children between six and twelve years of age.

The room was either extremely cold or hot, never anything in between(= in the middle).

preposition adverb (TIME)

(also in between) in the period of time which separates two different times or events

You shouldn't eat between meals.

There is a break of ten minutes between classes.

The shop is closed for lunch between 12.30 and 1.30.

In between sobs, he managed to tell them what had happened.

preposition (AMONG)

among two or more people or things

The money was divided equally between several worthy causes.

We drank two bottles of wine between four of us.

Trade between the two countries (= Their trade with each other) has increased sharply in the past year.

There is a great deal of similarity between Caroline and her mother (=They are very similar).

You'll have to choose between (= choose either) a holiday or a new washing machine.

She was torn between loyalty to her father and love for her husband(= She could not decide which one to support).

•

A discussion, argument or game between two or more people or groups of people involves both people or groups

The negotiations between the union and management have broken down.

There has always been a fierce rivalry between the two clubs.

Tonight's game is between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams.

preposition (CONNECTING)

•

connecting two or more places, things or people

There is a regular train service between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The survey shows a link between asthma and air pollution.

•

from one place to another

He commutes daily between Leeds and Manchester.

preposition (SEPARATING)

separating two places or things

The wall between East and West Berlin came down in 1989.

The report states that the gap between the rich and the poor has increased dramatically over the past decade.

Fandorin · Answer

Thank you, LouiseT. It helped.

CalifJim · Answer

Fandorin"between" can be used in situations where there are more than two things which have one-to-one relationship and quite separable, while "among" is used for more "unsorted, general" collected and undefined sets of items. Thus I tend to use "between" since the choices have been clearly provided.

I don't think that's the right reasoning. You will find the correct answer (located) among the three choices, or you will choose the correct answer from among the alternatives shown, but not between pairs of choices.

(among can be almost locational: 'in the midst of'.)

Compare:

to be first among equals
to be among friends during the holidays
to find silver threads among the gold (idiom: getting gray hair; getting old)
a program to find the smallest among three numbers (same as smallest of three numbers)

a rose among the thorns (idiom: someone nice in comparison to those around him or her)

CJ

Fandorin · Answer

Now I do understand. If we're provided pairs of choices and we ask a testee to "choose between pairs of choices" it will be fine, right? However, if a diversity of alternatives is provided, we will use nothing but "among", right? On reflection, I can't make up a "between"-sentence where more than two things occur. Thank you Jim.

CalifJim · Answer

FandorinOn reflection, I can't make up a "between"-sentence where more than two things occur.

There are fences between all the houses on this street. (There might be 8 or 9 houses, for example, but each fence is found only between each pair of houses. The fences are certainly not scattered among the houses.)

I was angry when I discovered that my children had gotten glue between the pages of my favorite book. (Many pages, but the glue is only between pairs of (facing) pages.)

Some uses are entirely "idiomatic"; that is, the "usage rules" given in dictionaries should probably be suspended completely for certain cases. The best example of this is "difference between"; we never say "difference among", even if there is more than one thing being considered. You can argue that finding differences is always done by comparing two things at a time, but I prefer to think of "difference between" (or "differentiate between") as a fixed expression.

I can't tell the difference between a yew, a cypress, and a juniper.

CJ

Fandorin · Answer

Thank you Jim it is very clear to me now.

Between and among feud

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