Between or in between

[LAHomedog]

Which do you use? Nowadays in common speech folks say "in between" yet it is grammatically incorrect. It is between. Your nose is between your eyes not in between them, and you put your cock between her breasts not in between her breasts.

However I'll confess to using in between as a matter of habit, especially in dialogue since it is how people talk.

What do your guys think and do? I ask because I caught myself writing about "a butt plug in between her cheeks" and I was going to make the correction then curiosity got the better of me...

Anybody have any thoughts?

 

[Omenainen]

I have absolutely no idea, except that I once wrote a story called “In Between”. I did check from google translate and it gave both as options, and on some whim I went with the one with “in”.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'd write, "The cat sat between the mats."

 

[Omenainen]

Okay, I think for me it’s like this, and do keep in mind that I’m not a native and this is based on absolutely nothing: I think that “between” focuses more on the things we are between of, and “in between” is more about the place in between the things. Or that is the thought process behind my story name, in any case.

 

[SamScribble]

I'd write, "The cat sat between the mats."

And rightly so, EB

 

[Jada59]

I'd go with between.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I agree with Omen - they have subtly different meanings. Something might be between two things, but 'in between' emphasises an inwards movement or pushing.

So a nose in between eyes sounds a bit odd, like it's been shoved there rather than grown naturally, but that could be a vivid description of someone's face. There's an arse-crack between someone's buttocks, and a butt plug goes in between them.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Damn, now I have to go check all my stories as I don't know which I used. Crap.

 

[DanDraper]

Which do you use? Nowadays in common speech folks say "in between" yet it is grammatically incorrect. It is between. Your nose is between your eyes not in between them, and you put your cock between her breasts not in between her breasts.

However I'll confess to using in between as a matter of habit, especially in dialogue since it is how people talk.

What do your guys think and do? I ask because I caught myself writing about "a butt plug in between her cheeks" and I was going to make the correction then curiosity got the better of me...

Anybody have any thoughts?

You're definitely correct, it should be just 'between', especially for that butt plug example you gave.
Sometimes we don't really think about it because of how we already use certain phrases in every day life, especially when we learn it from others. We end up thinking these grammatical errors are the correct way to be used.

The use of 'between' is something I need to remember to keep an eye on for future writings.
Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

.
.

 

[KeithD]

If you're being paid by the word, I'd suggest "in between." Otherwise, "between."

 

[Kumquatqueen]

My reaction to this question was 'who says it's ungrammatical?'
A quick Google finds that Grammarly says it is, but various dictionaries have no problem with it, eg Collins lists it as used in both UK and American English without any marker of being non-standard or informal.

In business English I'd eliminate the 'in' as excess verbiage, but in fiction it can add a bit of pacing and emphasis.

 

[NotWise]

In business English I'd eliminate the 'in' as excess verbiage, but in fiction it can add a bit of pacing and emphasis.

I agree. I use "in between" for slowing the pace and adding emphasis. There are other words that can be used similarly; "that," for instance, can often be used or removed for pacing and emphasis without changing the meaning of a sentence.

 

[SimonDoom]

I would use "between" only for narrative. Even if some authorities accept it, "in" is unnecessary. It's fine for dialogue.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I would use "between" only for narrative. Even if some authorities accept it, "in" is unnecessary. It's fine for dialogue.

^^^^ what he said.

Dialog, is there anyone who speaks perfect English? No. So, in between would be good for dialog. And if the narration is in 1st person, it might even be okay there. Third person probably not.

 

[Voboy]

I’m on Team Between rather than Team In Between, with a caveat. When you write in FP, you can use things like this to differentiate your narrators.

Is that lost on the casual reader? Perhaps. But no harm done.

 

[Comshaw]

Which do you use? Nowadays in common speech folks say "in between" yet it is grammatically incorrect. It is between. Your nose is between your eyes not in between them, and you put your cock between her breasts not in between her breasts.

However I'll confess to using in between as a matter of habit, especially in dialogue since it is how people talk.

What do your guys think and do? I ask because I caught myself writing about "a butt plug in between her cheeks" and I was going to make the correction then curiosity got the better of me...

Anybody have any thoughts?

It depends... on who's speaking: me as the narrator or a character in the story. I've personally used both of those. "In between" is one of those phrases that have, over time, become part of the language. It happens. Things that are viewed as inappropriate language starts as slang, becomes a popular part of the verbal language and before you know it, it has carved out a place in our language as the right and proper form to use.

But there are other colloquial terms used for that as well. "Twixt" is a good example as in "twixt a rock and hard place". I grew up hearing that word and some of my characters use it, as I do when I feel like it.

Comshaw

 

[jehoram]

There's room for both usages. Consider John Prine's "Late John Garfield Blues" with this bridge:

Old man sleeps with his conscience at night
Young kid sleeps with his dreams
While the mentally ill sit perfectly still
And live through life's in-betweens

It wouldn't work with just "between."

 

[LAHomedog]

I was sharing this post with my wife (who is an attorney and a wordsmith) and we were discussing the common usages that people incorporate into daily speech. And she said, "irregardless gives me hives."

It doesn't give me hives, but I'll admit it does bug me...

 

[Trionyx]

I recently had this written in a comment about my story Coranne’s Costume: “author occasionally lapses into the unfortunate us-ism ¨off of¨. yecch.”

This was from a story told in the first person and since that terminology is spoken by many, I feel it was appropriate. In a third person narrative the correct usage would have been to not add the “of”.

In essence I am agreeing with several writers here in that when quoting someone or using first person, go with how people talk. Otherwise the grammatically correct form is probably preferable.

https://classic.literotica.com/s/corannes-costume

 

[Handley_Page]

From the Concise Oxford English Dictionary:-

between /Ⴀbɪˈtwiːn/ Ⴂpreposition & adverb
1 at, into, or across the space separating (two objects, places, or points).
2 in the period separating (two points in time).
3 [as preposition] indicating a connection or relationship involving two or more parties.
4 [as preposition] by combining the resources or actions of (two or more parties).

– phrases between ourselves (or you and me) in confidence. (in) between times (or whiles) in the intervals between other actions.
– origin Old English betwēonum, from be ‘by’ + a Germanic word related to two.
– usage It is correct to say between you and me, rather than between you and I. A preposition such as between takes the object case and is followed by object pronouns such as me, him, her, and us rather than subject pronouns such as I, he, she, and we. Thus it is right to say between us or between him and her and it is clearly wrong to say between we or between he and she.

 

[SimonDoom]

I was sharing this post with my wife (who is an attorney and a wordsmith) and we were discussing the common usages that people incorporate into daily speech. And she said, "irregardless gives me hives."

It doesn't give me hives, but I'll admit it does bug me...

"Irregardless" suffers from the same problem as "in-between." You can scurry to find dictionaries and other authorities that will tell you that as a matter of custom these forms have become accepted. But the question still remains, Why would you ever use these terms?

The word "regardless" says all one needs to say. Adding the prefix "ir" appears to negate and reverse the term "regardless." What's the point? It's fine in dialogue, because many people actually talk this way, but why would an author EVER use "irregardless" in narrative? It seems to me that an author that uses this term in narrative (as opposed to dialogue) risks coming across as not being aware of what they're doing.

Same thing with "in between." The word "in" adds nothing, IN MOST CASES. If using "between" by itself suffices, then ditch "in."

There are two cases I can think of where you'd choose differently.

One is where the word "in" is part of a verb phrase that precedes "between."

Example: "I pulled in between two cars." In this case the word "in" is not a preposition so much as it's part of the verb phrase "pulled in" to describe an action.

Example 2: "I like music from the early 1970s, the late 1990s, and all the years in between."

This is a common but slightly odd usage because in this case the word "between" is not a preposition with an objection (i.e., "between the years"). There is no object. In this case, omitting the word "in" would leave the sentence sounding strange. "In" is OK in this case.

I think the test is this: read the sentence to yourself. If the word "in" doesn't add something, get rid of it. Just use "between."

 

[Athalia]

There's room for both usages. Consider John Prine's "Late John Garfield Blues" with this bridge:



It wouldn't work with just "between."

Oh, how I love that song! So melancholy, yet with biting humor, and all to the loveliest waltz tune. I heard a You Tube version of it with somebody playing a heart-wrenching violin solo in the middle.

 

[jehoram]

Oh, how I love that song! So melancholy, yet with biting humor, and all to the loveliest waltz tune. I heard a You Tube version of it with somebody playing a heart-wrenching violin solo in the middle.

This is probably the one you're thinking of:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpF1a4VKB9w

 

[SimonDoom]

A good general principle in writing is the concept of "eschew surplusage" -- advocated by Mark Twain in his great essay "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses."

If there's no need for a word, get rid of it.

"In" adds nothing to "between." So get rid of it.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

And now a word from our sponsor... The new TV show on some channel I don't watch but advertised on one I do. Welcome to Mr. INBETWEEN. Or should that be Mr. BETWEEN?