Many people believe BETWEEN should be used for choices involving two items and AMONG for choices that involve more than two items. That can get you to the right answer some of the time, but it is not so simple...
You can use the word BETWEEN when you are talking about distinct, individual items even if there are more than two of them. For example, you could say, "She chose between Harvard, Brown, and Yale" because the colleges are individual items.
On the other hand, you use AMONG when you are talking about things that are not distinct items or individuals; for example, if you were talking about colleges collectively you could say, "She chose among the Ivy League schools."
Are there any IDIOMS with these two words? Yes!! Let's see...
To be sandwiched between... It is to be so close to two people or things that there is not enough space to move. e.g. My poor little car was sandwiched between a Rolls Royce and a Mercedes.
To read between the lines... It is to discover a meaning in something that is not openly stated. e.g. He is not going to say what he really feels, but you can read between the lines and guess that he isn’t happy with the situation.
Between you and me, or between ourselves... They are used to mean that something is or should be kept a secret. e.g. Now between ourselves, for this is strictly confidential, I'm quite alarmed at the prospect.
If you are between the devil and the deep blue sea, you must choose between two unpleasant situations. e.g. We seemed to be between the devil and the deep blue sea: it didn’t matter which way we went.
To come between two people... It is to disrupt their relationship. You have a nice example in Sade’s song Nothing can come between us.
AND NOW... LET'W PRACTICE!!!
Click on the exercises below and let's see how much you know BETWEEN these two words!
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
