John Dixon, independent medical writer and trainer in scientific writing skills, provides a useful tip for medical writers who work in MedComms.

John’s Linkedin page is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndixon-lsc/

John’s web page is at https://librasciencecomms.co.uk

Note these “bites” are recorded online using the zoom.us platform and hence quality may be affected by variability in internet connectivity and quality of webcams. The tips, however, are always first class!

Recorded 17 July 2019. Produced by NetworkPharma.tv

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Transcript

Hi, I’m John Dixon, a trainer in scientific writing, and here’s a bite that I hope may help you with your writing.

When should you say ‘between’ and when should you say ‘among’ [NEXT SLIDE]

We can use a simple rule to decide between using ‘between’ or ‘among’

* Between is used when discussing two items
* Among is used when considering many items [NEXT]

However:

In Fowler’s Modern English Usage, Burchfield cites the Oxford English Dictionary:
“[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.” [NEXT SLIDE]

So, here are some examples using the simple rule:

Between the two, a compromise was reached.
I arrive between 14:00 and 16:00 on Friday … Here we are talking about two times

Among the hundreds of students, only one came from London … Here we’re talking about many students and we’re not concerned with each individual student.
Bluebells grew among the oak trees in the forest … Here we’re talking about many oak trees and are not concerned with each individual oak tree. [NEXT SLIDE]

However, here are some examples in which between is used despite there being more than two items under consideration

She divided her time between studying, writing a novel and working as a doctor … so here we’re concerned with the individual ways in which she used her time.
There was only one pen between the eight students … here, we’re concerned that individual students do not each have a pen.
The Campus was located between Oxford, Cambridge and London … we’re interested in all three locations.
The prize money was divided equally between the five team members … here, we’re interested in each team member receiving money. [NEXT]

Well, I hope that’s helpful. For more bites, visit NetworkPharma.tv

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

We are building a library of free webcasts and other video content for the global MedComms Community and others at http://www.networkpharma.tv and we’d welcome your suggestions for new content.

[For the avoidance of doubt: this video is intended to be freely accessible to all. Please feel free to share and use however you like. Cheers Peter Llewellyn, Director NetworkPharma Ltd and Founder of the MedComms Networking Community activity at http://www.medcommsnetworking.com]