Preposition

Question

Which is correct:a) "Israel is at a point BETWEEN Europe, Asia, and Africa." b) "Israel is at a point AMONG Europe, Asia, and Africa."

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

"Among" is wrong in this sentence. "Between" can be used for more than two things, but your sentence is not clear or natural.

MountainHiker · Answer

Christine Christiea) "Israel is at a point BETWEEN Europe, Asia, and Africa."

You are likely wondering if among should be used because there are more than two items? In this case, you use between because the items are clearly separated.

Cambridge Online Dictionary: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/between-or-among

Between, among: meaning and use

We use between to refer to two things which are clearly separated. We use among to talk about things which are not clearly separated because they are part of a group or crowd or mass of objects:
Our holiday house is between the mountains and the sea. (the mountains are on one side and the sea is on the other)
The ancient fountain was hidden among the trees. (surrounded by trees)

In your example, Europe, Asia, and Africa are three continents.

When providing a definition for between, Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives three quick examples:

- economic cooperation between nations
- between you and me and the lamppost
- partitioned between Austria, Prussia, and Russia

I hope this helps.

Preposition

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions