Arts
The rule about when to use "between" and when to use "among" seems straightforward, until you look more closely. Then it's not straightforward at all. Our listener Lowell Boileau wanted to know what we think about this rule: "My understanding is that 'between' is for 'between two parties' and 'among' is for 'among three or more parties.' Yet I hear and read 'between' frequently used in reference to three or more." Many of us grew up with this exact same rule, but Lowell is right. Not everyone follows it. For example, let's say you're looking over the menu at a restaurant. You've narrowed it down to two options, so you say, "I'm trying to choose between the steak or the lasagna." That's two things, so you use "between." If you haven't narrowed it down to two, you might say, "I'm trying to choose among the many entrees on the menu," because there are more than two options. However, the fact is that you will hear people say, "I'm trying to choose between the many options on the menu," and