Page 221 - Advanced English Grammar in Use

B e t w e e n , a m o n g ; b y , b e s i d e , e t c .

Between, among
Study how between and among are used as prepositions of place in these sentences:
• She held the diamond between her thumb and forefinger.
• Zimbabwe is situated between Zambia to the north, Mozambique to the east, Botswana to
p the west, and South Africa to the south.
p • He stood among all his friends in the room and felt very happy.
| i • She eventually found her passport among the clothes in her drawer.
jj§ We use between with two or more people or things that we see as individual or separate. We use
j|j among when we see the people or things as part of a group or mass. You can't say that you are
jf among two people or things. Amongst is sometimes used instead of among, but is a more literary
Jp- word.

I D Between nd among are not only used as prepositions of place. To talk bout something done to
a
a
jjis or by a roup or groups of things or people, we can use either between or among:
g
t
III • The money is to be divided between/among the owns in the area.
pf • The prize will be shared between/among the first six finishers in the race.
fe; However, when we specify the individual members of the group using singular nouns we use
jj| r: between rather than among:
§11 • The treaty was signed between Great Britain and France.
|;> • There was a disagreement between Neil, John and Margaret.
| | We also use between, not among, when we talk about comparisons and relationships (e.g. a
p difference between, a connection between..., a friendship between..., a link between...):
lp • What are the differences between rugby league, rugby union and American football?
Jl • They are wrong to claim that there is a connection between unemployment and crime.
iff We use among, not between, when we mean 'occurring in', 'one/some of or 'out of:
if • The disease has now broken out among the hill tribes. (= 'occurring in')
!§ • They are among the best hockey players in the world. (= 'some of)
jjl; • Among the capital cities of South America, Quito is the second highest. (= 'out of)
lit?
j§; Notice ow we use the expression among other things (not 'between other things'):
h
j? • Among other things, I enjoy painting nd gardening.
a
|j • I later found out that he ad been a carpenter and a ustman, among other things.
d
h
By, beside, close to, near (to), next (to)
These all mean 'not far away'. We can often use either near (to) or close to:
• The plant often grows close to / near (to) the banks of rivers.
• We live close to / near (to) the city centre.
We use beside, by, or next to to say that one thing or person is at the side of another:
ty • Colin sat beside / by / next to her with his legs crossed.
• • I pushed the button beside / by / next to the door, but there was no answer.
We can also use next as an adjective to say that something follows another thing in a series. When
we mean that one thing is closer than any other thing of the same kind, we use nearest, not next.
Compare:
• When Jim arrived, I left the kitchen and went into the next room, (not ...nearest room.) and
• When the storm started, I ran to the nearest house for shelter, (not ...next...)
When we are talking about towns and cities we can use near, but not by:
• I first met Steve when he was working on a beach near Adelaide.
• They live in a pretty cottage near Bergerac in France.