15 October 2009

A grammar question

I encountered this sentence in the April 2009 issue of Smithsonian:
They home-schooled Josh and his sister, Marintha, and moved among Vermont, Quebec, Oregon and a ranch in California.
My question is about the use of the word "among." I obviously understand that "among" replaces "between" when more than two items are involved, but in this case it sounds awkward.

Clearly the family only moved from one place to one other place at any one time - but I don't think one says that "John moved between New York and Florida" unless John is moving back and forth between the two sites; for a one-way trip you would say "John moved from New York to Florida."

"Among" is probably intended to compress a much longer alternative sentence (full of "to" and "from" and "back" etc.), and the meaning is clear, but it still doesn't sound right. Perhaps "moved" is the wrong verb. Or maybe it is correct.

I need to be rescued by some other grammar Nazi. Thanks in advance.

11 comments:

  1. Excellent question. I looked in my copy of 'Woe Is I' by Patricia T. O'Connor (the best book of English grammar I've encountered) and this is what she has to say on the matter:

    When only two are involved, the answer is easy: between. (Miss Bennet sensed a barrier between her and Mr. Darcy.) With three or more, you have a choice. Use between if you're thinking of the individuals and their relations with one another. (There were several embarrassing exchanges between Lydia, Kitty, and Jane.) Use among if you're thinking of the group. (Darcy's arrival created a stir among the guests.)

    So I suppose the correct answer should be...between?

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  2. Perhaps. I think if I had been writing the piece I would have opted for saying that the family "lived in w, x, y, and z" with the "move" part being implied.

    We'll see what others come up with...

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  3. I believe the use of the word "among" is correct. That said, I feel that it would have been clearer to state, They home-schooled Josh and his sister, Marintha, living at various times in Vermont....and on a ranch in California."

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  4. I would say that it depends on the context, which is not given here. Let's say that the family owns four homes and spends some time every year in each location. In that case, I would say that they moved *between* the locations, or split their time *among* them. (Using "between" with the action verb "move" but not with the more sedate "split one's time".)

    If, however, the moves were from one place to another to a third, etc., the more cumbersome "lived in x, y...", the move being implied, as you suggest, or "moved from x to y to z" would be preferable (to my ears, anyway).

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  5. I'd write "moved back and forth between," which I think is what's implied by the (incorrect) use of "among" here.

    I'll bet a buck the author used "between" and a copy editor, following a rule he or she didn't really understand, changed it to "among."

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  6. If a fish can move among the reeds then a boy can move among the states.

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  7. @anon - maybe, but the fish is not moving from reed to reed. He's moving. With reeds around him. So he's among them - just as you would be among friends at a party. That's a standard use of "among."

    I just can't see myself saying "I ran errands today; I went among the post office, bank, grocery store and hardware store."

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  8. I like the sentence. Whether it sounds good is obviously a matter of opinion, but I think the use of "among" fits nicely with the "move" verb. In your errands example, "among" doesn't sound good because you're using "go," but "move" implies the subject was settled for some time in each given place. "Moved to" would sound technical, like a news article, while "moved among" colors it with a bit of homeyness while retaining the impressive range of the list; they didn't necessarily go to those places in that order, but they did live somewhere "among" that list of locations.

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  9. I'd have written "lived in w,x,y,and z". Or "moved from w to x to y and to z" giving a nod to packing the car and road time.

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  10. If you're on the horns of a dilemma, the answer is usually a third option you haven't considered.

    I'd write:
    "They home-schooled Josh and his sister, Marintha, and lived in Vermont, Quebec and Oregon, then on a ranch in California."

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  11. I agree with Andrew.

    Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage quotes James A.H. Murray of the OED as saying it "as clearly and succinctly as anyone: 'It [between] is still the only word available to express the relation of a thing to many surrounding things severally and individually, among expressing a relation to them collectively and vaguely.' Still, the unfounded notion that between can be used of only two items persists, most perniciously, perhaps, in schoolbooks."

    This entry is followed by several examples; ironically, two are from Jane Austen.

    1) This, of course, is between our three discreet selves. (Jane Austen, letter, 11 Oct. 1813)

    2) There were three different conclusions to be drawn from his silence, between which her mind was in fluctuation. (Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814)

    And an example of among:

    My mother came home with that [joke] the other day. She circulates among all and sundry. (Flannery O'Connor, letter, 1 Dec 1957)

    Finally, the editors have this to say: "We suggest that in choosing between among and between you are going to be better off following your own instincts than trying to follow someone else's theory of what is correct."

    I love those guys.

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