Question

It is a common misconception that the word between should be used for two objects and among should be used for more than two objects. Either between or among is acceptable when more than two objects are involved, as long as those objects are distinct entities. On the other hand, only among should be used when referring to a spatial relationship in which objects are a collective mass or group.

Which sentence BEST applies the above advice from the usage guide?

Janaya strolled between the crowds of the city.


The cat napped in the garden among the roses.


The ship sailed between the tossing waves.


Tom debated among giving his brother gloves or a book.

Answer 1

The sentence 'The cat napped in the garden among the roses' is the best application of the advice, using 'among' correctly to refer to undistinguished parts of a collective group.

Step-by-step explanation:

Among the provided sentences, "The cat napped in the garden among the roses" best applies the advice from the usage guide. This sentence correctly uses among because it refers to an undistinguished part of a collective group - the roses in the garden. The cat is at rest within the collective mass of the roses, which is an appropriate context for the word among.

In contrast, "Janaya strolled between the crowds of the city" and "The ship sailed between the tossing waves" are inappropriate use of between because they suggest moving through distinct, countable entities, but in these sentences, the entities are actually uncountable or viewed collectively. "Tom debated among giving his brother gloves or a book" is also incorrect since among is used with uncountable or non-distinct items, and here the items (gloves or a book) are very distinct.