3rd Usage Poll

This is the third usage poll: items 11 – 15 from Attitudes to English Usage (1970). As before, we will be very grateful for your feedback.

 
 
 
 

2 Responses to 3rd Usage Poll

  1. Kate Wild says:
    November 13, 2011 at 11:46 am

    Is there a difference between British and American usage regarding ‘between’ and ‘among’? To me (a Scottish English speaker), for example, ‘difference(s) between’ sounds right whereas ‘difference(s) among’ doesn’t, no matter how many different things you’re talking about. I wrote an article which referred to ‘differences between senses’ (I was talking about several senses) and the American editor corrected it to ‘differences among senses’, which sounded odd to my ear. I’d be interested to hear what other users of different varieties feel about this.

    Reply
    • Joan Beal says:
      December 2, 2011 at 5:05 pm

      I agree that ‘differences among’ always sounds wrong. I find it in essays written by non-native speakers and assumed they were hypercorrecting.

      Reply

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