The prepositions among and between are two of the most frequently misused words in the English language. Although these two prepositions have several different meanings, this issue of Grammatically Correct will discuss only one of their shared meanings: being in the middle of items, such as people, things, times or events.

While many people attempt to use these prepositions interchangeably, such use is simply not correct. Between should be used when discussing being in the middle of two items, and among should be used when discussing being in the middle of three or more items.

Let’s take a look at some examples:

The guests arrived at the wedding between 2 and 3 p.m.

I was seated between John and Justin at the banquet.

I was seated among friends at Judy’s rehearsal dinner.

The check was found among the papers on the desk.

Note that the examples above illustrate that these two prepositions cannot be used interchangeably. While it might seem that there is no trick for remembering the correct word, it is fairly easy to memorize that between is used for two and among is used for more than two.

Test your understanding of among vs. between by choosing the correct preposition in each sentence below.

1. Tara was seated (among, between) the manager and the accountant at the business luncheon.

2. The lost keys were found (among, between) the papers and books on my floorboard.

3. On the freeway, I was (among, between) several slow-moving cars.

Answers

1. Tara was seated between the manager and the accountant at the business luncheon.

2. The lost keys were found among the papers on my floorboard.

3. On the freeway, I was among several slow-moving cars.

Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas.

Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu.

Subscribe/Unsubscribe/View Archive