Dear Geist,
What is the difference between in and among? On May 9, 2017, journalists outside the White House in Washington, DC, were awaiting an official statement on the firing of FBI Director James Comey. The Washington Post reported that Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, appeared to be hiding in the bushes, briefing staff members. A short time after publishing the story, the Post ran a correction saying that Spicer was never “in the bushes”; he was “among bushes.” Say what? Even my trusty dictionary isn’t helping me on this one.
—Cameron H, Lethbridge AB
Dear Cameron,
It’s a head-scratcher, isn’t it?
The better-known caution about among, and its buddies amid and amongst, is to be clear when to use one of them and when to use between. For example, you choose between two things but among three things. (Not always, this being English, but that’s another subject.)
In is one of the most nimble words English speakers have: we’ll see you in an hour, we engage in conversation, we live in Canada, we rub it in, we’re in trouble, we’re in with the in-crowd, and so on and on. Yet one could argue that in many of those diverse in functions there is a connotation of immersion, which White House staff adjacent to shrubbery, at night, with media people nearby, would probably rather avoid. Among, on the other hand, feels more formal and stately, suggesting pleasant, voluntary mingling—without touching, and certainly without hiding.
—The Editors
