Between and Among: The Real Difference in English

The real difference, between and among, from EspressoEnglish.net It is often taught that between is used for two items, and among for three or more. But this is not completely accurate. The more accurate difference is this. Between is used when naming distinct individual items. It can be two items, three items, or more. And among is used when the items are part of a group, or are not specifically named. And to use among, it must be three or more things. Here's an example. The negotiations between Brazil, Argentina, and Chile are going well. The negotiations among the countries of South America are going well. You can see in the first example, we use between with three items. But we name each of the three things individually. And in the second sentence, we use among because we refer to the countries as a group. Here's another example. I'm trying to decide between the green shirt, the blue shirt, and the black shirt. Again, we can use between with two, three, four, or more individual items, as long as we name them specifically. But, if we refer to them as a group, then we should use among. I'm trying to decide among these shirts. Another student asked me if the correct expression is between you and I, or between you and me. It's always between you and me. This expression is used when you want the other person to keep some information a secret. For example, between you and me, I think John got fired because he's completely incompetent. Using the expression between you and me means that I want you to know this information, but I don't want you to share it with anybody else. If you want to clear up your doubts so you can use English words more confidently, check out my e-book, 600 Plus Confusing English Words Explained. You can click on the link for more information and free samples.