English Grammar Lab

← C1

Choosing between between and among

You will be able to Distinguish separate identifiable entities from groups viewed collectively.

Explanation

Use between when the people or things are treated as separate, identifiable entities, even when there are more than two. Use among when they are viewed as members of a group or as an undifferentiated collection.

Examples

Detailed course

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Detailed explanation

Both between and among express relationships involving more than one person or thing, but they organise those participants differently. Use between when the entities are treated as separate and identifiable. This remains true with three or more participants: a treaty can be negotiated between five named states because each state is considered individually. Use among when people or things are viewed collectively as members of a group, without focusing on a separate relationship with every member.

The contrast is therefore not simply “two versus more than two”. That shortcut works in many elementary examples, but it fails in formal writing. Between is natural with named organisations, clearly delimited options, or reciprocal arrangements: communication between the departments, differences between the four models, an agreement between the partners. Among is natural with distribution, membership, shared feelings, and movement within a group: concern among staff, distribute the forms among participants, popular among younger readers.

Meaning can change with the preposition. “The negotiations between the delegates” highlights interactions involving distinct delegates, whereas “disagreement among the delegates” presents disagreement as a feature within the group. Similarly, “divide the work between the three researchers” may suggest three separately allocated portions, while “share the material among the researchers” focuses on distribution across the group.

Fixed expressions also matter. We say distinguish between, choose between, a link between, and between you and me. Common expressions with among include among other things, among the most important, and first among equals. Register does not determine the choice by itself; the writer’s conceptualisation does.

A useful self-check is to ask whether you could name the entities and describe the relationship separately. If yes, between is often appropriate. If the sentence presents a collective setting, membership, or broad distribution, among is usually better. In borderline cases, test both versions and identify the difference in focus rather than assuming that only the number of participants matters.

How to form it

Use between + plural or coordinated noun phrase when the participants are separate, identifiable entities: between the council, the union and the ministry. Use among + plural collective noun phrase when the participants are viewed as a group: among the delegates. After divide, distribute and share, choose the preposition according to whether the allocation is treated as separate portions or broad distribution.

Use between with two or more clearly identified people, organisations, objects or alternatives.

Use among when something occurs within a group or is distributed across a group collectively.

Do not rely on the rule that between is only for two; modern standard English uses it with more than two distinct entities.

With differences, relationships and negotiations, between often foregrounds pairwise or individual connections.

With popularity, membership, shared reactions and broad distribution, among usually gives the intended collective meaning.

Guided examples

The memorandum was signed between the university, the hospital and the regional authority.

The three institutions are named and treated as separate parties to one formal agreement, so between is appropriate.

A feeling of frustration spread among the applicants.

The applicants are presented as a group within which the feeling spread; no separate relationship is emphasised.

The analyst compared the differences between the four funding models.

Each model is identifiable and the comparison considers distinctions from one model to another.

The grant was divided among twelve community projects.

The sentence focuses on distribution across a group of projects rather than on separate reciprocal relationships.

Negotiations continued between the six named representatives.

Although there are more than two representatives, they participate as identifiable individuals, which supports between.

The proposal was among the most ambitious submitted that year.

Among places one proposal inside a larger set and is part of the fixed expression among the most.

Common mistakes

Not: The agreement was reached among France, Italy and Spain.

Use: The agreement was reached between France, Italy and Spain.

The countries are named as separate parties to a specific agreement.

Not: Concern grew between the teaching staff.

Use: Concern grew among the teaching staff.

The staff are viewed collectively as the group within which concern developed.

Not: You must choose among the red option and the blue option.

Use: You must choose between the red option and the blue option.

A choice involving two clearly defined alternatives normally takes between.

Not: The distinction among accuracy, precision and reliability is important.

Use: The distinction between accuracy, precision and reliability is important.

The noun distinction conventionally takes between when separate concepts are contrasted.

Before you practise

  • Are the participants named or individually identifiable?
  • Is the sentence describing a relationship between separate entities or a situation within a group?
  • Does the governing verb or noun conventionally select one preposition?
  • Would changing the preposition alter the focus from individual to collective?
  • Have I avoided the oversimplified rule that between is only for two?

Reading text

Allocating a Regional Research Grant

About 244 words

A regional foundation recently invited six institutions to design a joint research programme on coastal resilience. During the first meeting, the partners identified several differences between their priorities. The university wanted long-term environmental data, the engineering institute favoured immediate infrastructure trials, and the local councils were concerned with public communication. Because the institutions were clearly identifiable, the negotiations between them required careful documentation.

The foundation created a steering group with one representative from each organisation. Responsibility for the final proposal was divided among the members, but the most sensitive decisions were made between the representatives responsible for finance, ethics and data protection. This distinction helped the group work efficiently. Routine tasks could be distributed across the team, whereas issues involving direct obligations needed agreement from named individuals.

As the project developed, confidence grew among the participating researchers. They began to see that the apparent competition between their disciplines could become a productive exchange. One team developed a method for sharing field observations among local schools, while another established a secure channel between the laboratories that would process the samples.

The final budget was divided among twelve work packages. However, the contract itself was signed between the six institutions because each organisation accepted separate legal responsibilities. In its evaluation, the foundation noted that the proposal was among the strongest it had received. The success of the application depended partly on the group’s ability to distinguish between collective participation and the specific commitments of individual partners.

Reading comprehension

  1. Why did the negotiations require careful documentation?

    Show answer

    Because the six institutions had different priorities and were separate, identifiable parties.

  2. Which tasks were distributed among the whole steering group?

    Show answer

    Responsibility for preparing the proposal and other routine tasks.

  3. Why was the contract signed between the institutions rather than among them?

    Show answer

    Each institution accepted separate legal responsibilities.

  4. What distinction helped the group work efficiently?

    Show answer

    The distinction between collective participation and decisions involving named individuals.

Grammar in the text

  1. differences between their priorities

    Between presents the priorities as distinct items that can be compared individually.

  2. divided among the members

    Among expresses distribution across the members as a group.

  3. made between the representatives responsible for finance, ethics and data protection

    The representatives are specific and individually identifiable, despite there being three of them.

  4. among the strongest it had received

    Among places the proposal within a larger set and is part of a common evaluative pattern.

Listening practice

Watch a TEDx talk

“Your body language may shape who you are” — Amy Cuddy (TED). Listen for clear, natural English and pick up new vocabulary while you review this grammar point.

Check your understanding

According to Amy Cuddy, what happened to participants who held a high-power pose for two minutes?

Check your understanding

What is Amy Cuddy's key piece of advice, in her own words?

Practice

Choose the best answer. The confidential findings were discussed ___ the four named researchers.

Practice

Choose the best answer. The rumour spread quickly ___ students on campus.

Practice

Choose the best answer. Negotiations continued ___ the three companies throughout the week.

Written practice

Produce the answer yourself. Capitalisation and final punctuation do not affect validation, but the grammar and word order must be correct.

Short answer

Written practice

Complete the sentence with between or among.

She felt comfortable ___ colleagues she had known for years.