We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.

Before we tackle today’s grammar lesson, a brief announcement: Heaven Sent is now available in paperback. Click here to order a copy.

Today is the third post in the series on misused word pairs. These are words which are frequently substituted for each other even though they don’t have the same meaning.

Let’s talk about the words between and among. Again, we have a pair of words that are NOT interchangeable, even though most people frequently use them as if they were.

Between is a preposition used to connect or separate two people, places or things. Examples:

We divided the cookies between Jennifer and me.

The truth lay somewhere between her version and his.

The Missouri River runs between Omaha and Council Bluffs.

Among is a preposition used to connect or separate three or more people, places oe things. Examples:

Mother divided the cookies among the four of us.

We had enough money among the three of us to pay the toll.

There was great camaraderie among the teammates.

We never use between when we’re talking about more than two people, and we never use among when we’re only talking about two people.

Let’s all learn this simple rule of word usage so we can write more intelligent and coherent prose.

What grammatical misuse bothers you? What particular area of grammar would you like help with? I’d love to hear and help.

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For more information about David N. Walker, click the “About” tab above.

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Contact him at davwalktx@yahoo.com or tweet him at @davidnwalkertx