Between you and me

By Rosamund Place | October 18, 2016

When to use ‘between’ and when to use ‘among’

We use ‘between‘ to describe a position a) between two or more clearly separate people, things and dates, and b) for things on two sides

  • He is sitting between John, Ian and Michael.

  • I’ll put the TV between the hi-fi and the sofa.

  • He’ll be coming up to Doncaster between Easter and the summer.

We use ‘among‘ when talking of a group, crowd or mass of things that are not seen separately:

  • He’s over there among the crowd.

    You’ll find our house among a lot of other very similar ones.

    He enjoys going out canvassing among crowds of voters.

Can you choose between ‘between‘ and ‘among‘?

1. [Multiple choice]

Rob Andrews kicked the ball ……….. the posts.

(Rob Andrews is a fine rugby player who played for some years with the England team. Scoring a goal or a ‘try’, as in rugby, would always involve hitting a ball between two posts.)

Answers for Quiz [1].

  • 1. between (correct)
  • 2. among

2. [Multiple choice]

I’d like to move to Southampton – …………… other things, I’d be able to travel over the Channel more often than at present.

(The phrase ‘among other things’ – indicates that there are all sorts of reasons for doing or saying something – here, for moving to Southampton.)

Answers for Quiz [2].

  • 1. between
  • 2. among (correct)

3. [Multiple choice]

I found the medal ………… piles of old papers.

Answers for Quiz [3].

  • 1. between
  • 2. among (correct)

4. [Multiple choice]

You’ll have to choose …….. staying in with Dad, going to your Grandad’s and coming with us into town.

(Note that that there three different, specific choices to be made, and the individual has to choose between them. There could be 12 different options – we would still be choosing ‘between’ them.)

Answers for Quiz [4].

  • 1. between (correct)
  • 2. among

5. [Multiple choice]

Syria lies …………….. Lebanon, the Mediterranean Sea, the island of Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey.

(These countries are clearly separate entities – so we use between.)

Answers for Quiz [5].

  • 1. between (correct)
  • 2. among

6. [Multiple choice]

I couldn’t see the manager ……….. the garage staff.

(This is a group of people – and when we see someone in a group, crowd or mass of things that are not seen separately, we use ‘among’.)

Answers for Quiz [6].

  • 1. between
  • 2. among (correct)

7. [Multiple choice]

The Kirkstone Pass is the mountain road which runs ……………… Ambleside in the Rothay Valley and Patterdale in the Ullswater Valley.

(The Kirkstone Pass is the highest mountain pass in the Lake District that is open to traffic. It reaches an altitude of about 450 metres. There are higher passes, but they are only for people and animals.)

Answers for Quiz [7].

  • 1. between (correct)
  • 2. among

8. [Multiple choice]

Can you see a bird sitting ……………… the branches?

Answers for Quiz [8].

  • 1. between
  • 2. among (correct)

9. [Multiple choice]

The train got delayed ………… Ipswich and Colchester.

Answers for Quiz [9].

  • 1. between (correct)
  • 2. among

10. [Multiple choice]

There’s a cat sitting under the caravan ……………. the wheels.

(Each wheel is separate – if there was a pile of old wheels we would use ‘among’.)

Answers for Quiz [10].

  • 1. between (correct)
  • 2. among

11. [Multiple choice]

This is just another little problem …………… many.

Answers for Quiz [11].

  • 1. between
  • 2. among

12. [Multiple choice]

The lift got stuck ………….. floors.

(The ground floor is clearly a very separate area from the first or second floors – so we need ‘between’.)

Answers for Quiz [12].

  • 1. between (correct)
  • 2. among
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