"Between" Versus "Among"

Between Versus AmongYou may have noticed that I said we were going to talk about the difference between the words between and among. I used the word between because I was talking about a choice that involves two distinct words.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's not that simple (1, 2, 3, 4).Here's the deal: 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.

RelationshipsThe Chicago Manual of Style describes these as one-to-one relationships. Sometimes they are between two items, groups, or people, as in these sentences:Choose between Squiggly and Aardvark.Let's keep this between you and me.

Other times they can be between more than two items, groups, or people as in these sentences:The negotiations between the cheerleaders, the dance squad, and the flag team were going well despite the confetti incident.The differences between English, Chinese, and Arabic are significant.

On the other hand, you use among when you are talking about things that aren't distinct items or individuals; for example, if you were talking about colleges collectively you could say, "She chose among the Ivy League schools."If you are talking about a group of people, you also use among:Fear spread among the hostages.The scandal caused a division among the fans.Squiggly and Aardvark are among the residents featured in the newsletter.

Part of a GroupAmong can also indicate that someone is part of a group or left out of a group, as in these examples:He was glad to find a friend among enemies.She felt like a stranger among friends.Sylvia was later found living among the natives.It's not as simple as using between for two things and among for more.

LocationBetween and among can also tell the reader different things about location or direction. Think about the difference between these two sentences:Squiggly walked between the trees.Squiggly walked among the trees.Squiggly walked between the trees gives you the idea that he stayed on the path; he either walked between two trees or was on a route that was surrounded by trees.On the other hand, Squiggly walked among the trees gives you the idea that he wandered around a park or forest. He may have had an endpoint in mind, but it doesn't sound as if he went from point A to point B on a defined path.

Among Versus AmongstFinally, people sometimes ask about the difference between among and amongst. Both words mean the same thing, but amongst is the older form and is more commonly used in Britain than in the United States. It's considered archaic and overly formal or even pretentious in American English (5). The only time I can think of when it would be appropriate for an American writer to use it would be in fiction set in a different era or world. Something like:Is it truly safe to walk amongst the peasants, my lord?

Between, the PrepositionTwo more notes on between. Its often used as a preposition, and when it is, use the objective case of the pronouns just between you and me, thats between him and her, theres a rift between them and us.

"Between," "Compared to," and "Compared With"

Verbal ambiguity can lead to a range of confusing scenarios. Guest-writer Rob Reinalda explains.

How to Use BetweenSomeone once said, Between Springfield and St. Louis theres only one brain surgeon.Oh, came the puzzled reply. Do you mean that if you combine all the medical professionals in those two cities, theres only one brain surgeon?Or do you mean that within the territory that one must traverse to pass from one city to the other, theres only one brain surgeon?Turns out, it was the latter--there's only one brain surgeon practicing in the region between Springfield and St. Louis.

As with many words that have multiple interpretations or applications, between can create confusion.Between 2003 and 2004 one might write. Guess what? There is nothing between 2003 and 2004. Theres not an infinitesimal fragment of time there; its one year or the other.If you use between 2003 and 2004 construction, you may be trying to describe a time spanning all or part of those two years or you may be trying to contrast one year against the other, and there are better ways to do both.For example, let's say you want to you want to talk inclusively about 2003 and 2004. You could write In 2003 and 2004 or From 2003 through 2004 "From 2003 through 2004" is still a bit nebulous, as youre not specifying when in 2003 your starting point is. From the start of 2003 through 2004 makes it clear that you mean from the beginning of 2003 through the end of 2004.If you want to contrast two years, make that clear, too: In 2004, more than 3,500 bison flew out of the Buffalo airport, contrasted with 2003, when only 1,900 buffalo took wing.

How to Use "Compared To" and "Compared With"[[AdMiddle]As an aside, because compared to" and "compared with constructions are so widelyalmost zealouslybotched, spare yourself.Use liken to and contrast with, and youll save yourself about a hundred bucks a year in headache remedies.However, if you must, heres the tip:Compare to refers to similarities, and compare with indicates considering both similarities and differences (1, 2).For example, Squiggly could compare a flying bison's take off to that of a Chinook helicopter. When he uses "compare to," he's noting the similarity. On the other hand, Aardvark could compare a bison with a Chinook helicopter to look for clues about how a bison could fly. When he uses "compare with," he's examining both things that are the same between a helicopter and a bison, and things that are different.

How to Use the Word RangesMake sure your range really spans something.Very often a writer will use a range in mentioning a collection of distinct yet closely related elements: Contributors range from internal communicators to external communicators to public relations professionals to journalists to bloggers. Gee, thats not much of a range, is it?

The tip on using the word ranges is this: Make sure your range really spans something. Imagine that the range is like the one in the song Home on the Rangeoffering a wide, expansive view, of an entire landscape from end to end. Your range can span many things--time, size, the alphabet, a continuum of dress designs throughout the ages.The totem poles in the display ranged from three feet to four feet tall.Her hair color over the years had ranged from platinum blond to raven black.

If you're describing a collection of things, use the words "as diverse as" or "as varied as" instead of "range" (3, 4): His collectibles were as diverse as steam calliopes, odd-shaped persimmons, and Esperanto bartender guides."Include" also works. Contributors include internal communicators, journalists, and bloggers. Remember this, though: When you use include, dont list every contributor (or whatever). Those who are included are a subset of the entirety.