between, among

between, among
   A few authorities continue to insist that between applies to two things only and among to more than two, so that we should speak of dividing some money between the two of us but among the four of us. That is useful advice as far as it goes, but it doesn't always go very far. It would be absurd, for instance, to say that Chicago is among New York, Los Angeles, and Houston. More logically, between should be applied to reciprocal arrangements (a treaty between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada) and among to collective arrangements (trade talks among the members of the European Union).
   A separate common problem with between is seen here: "He said the new salaries were between 30 to 40 percent more than the average paid by other retailers" (Independent). Something can only be between one thing and another. Thus you should say either "between 30 and 40 percent" or "from 30 to 40 percent."

Dictionary of troublesome word. . 2013.

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  • between, among —  A few authorities continue to insist that between applies to two things only and among to more than two, so that we should speak of dividing some money between the two of us but among the four of us. That is useful advice as far as it goes, but… …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • between — between, among are comparable when they take as object two or more persons or things and indicate their relation (as in position, in a distribution, or in participation). Between in its basic sense applies to only two objects {between Scylla and… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Between — Be*tween , prep. [OE. bytwene, bitweonen, AS. betwe[ o]nan, betwe[ o]num; prefix be by + a form fr. AS. tw[=a] two, akin to Goth. tweihnai two apiece. See {Twain}, and cf. {Atween}, {Betwixt}.] 1. In the space which separates; betwixt; as, New… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Between decks — Between Be*tween , prep. [OE. bytwene, bitweonen, AS. betwe[ o]nan, betwe[ o]num; prefix be by + a form fr. AS. tw[=a] two, akin to Goth. tweihnai two apiece. See {Twain}, and cf. {Atween}, {Betwixt}.] 1. In the space which separates; betwixt; as …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Between ourselves — Between Be*tween , prep. [OE. bytwene, bitweonen, AS. betwe[ o]nan, betwe[ o]num; prefix be by + a form fr. AS. tw[=a] two, akin to Goth. tweihnai two apiece. See {Twain}, and cf. {Atween}, {Betwixt}.] 1. In the space which separates; betwixt; as …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Between themselves — Between Be*tween , prep. [OE. bytwene, bitweonen, AS. betwe[ o]nan, betwe[ o]num; prefix be by + a form fr. AS. tw[=a] two, akin to Goth. tweihnai two apiece. See {Twain}, and cf. {Atween}, {Betwixt}.] 1. In the space which separates; betwixt; as …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Between you and me — Between Be*tween , prep. [OE. bytwene, bitweonen, AS. betwe[ o]nan, betwe[ o]num; prefix be by + a form fr. AS. tw[=a] two, akin to Goth. tweihnai two apiece. See {Twain}, and cf. {Atween}, {Betwixt}.] 1. In the space which separates; betwixt; as …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • between — O.E. betweonum between, among, by turns, Mercian betwinum, from bi by (see BE (Cf. be )) + tweonum dat. pl. of *tweon two each (Cf. Goth. tweih nai two each ). Between a rock and a hard place is from 1940s, originally cowboy slang. Between whi …   Etymology dictionary

  • between — 1 /bI twi:n/ preposition 1 in or into the space or time that separates two things or people: I sat between Sue and Jane at the Christmas party. | There was a low brick wall between our garden and the field beyond. 2 in the time that separates two …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • between — 1. general. Between is an adverb (houses with spaces between) and a preposition (houses with spaces between them). We are concerned here with between as a preposition. 2. between and among. Many people, and usage guides, cling to the idea… …   Modern English usage

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