Between or Among– Which is Correct?
Can you spot the error in this CBC news item?: “Every year the four key nurseries in Ontario participating in the program cultivate 2.5 million seedlings between them…”
Yes, you’re right– they should have said “among them”. Silly CBC. But it’s not just the CBC– the error is pervasive.
Fortunately, the rule is the simplest one in English grammar, and like most rules, it helps if you understand the underlying story.
“Between” is derived from a very old English root meaning “by the two”, whereas “among” has a root meaning “in-mingle”.
So there you have it: “between” is for two and only two, “among” is for three or more. Period. That’s it.
How easy was that?
Sometimes I think that the CBC, CTV and Postmedia don’t have a grammar book between them!