Prepositions of Place (across from, opposite, among, amongst, between, in the middle)

Hello and welcome to Fransy Fancy English! Let's look into across from, opposite, between, among and in the middle.

Across From / Opposite

Across from and opposite mean the same thing. They usually refer to something being in front of something else BUT there is normally something between them like a street or table. It is similar to saying that someone or something is on the other side of something. 

"I live across from a supermarket." (it is on the other side of the road)

"The chess players sat opposite each other before they began their game." (They are in front of each other and there is a table between them.) 

"She sat opposite him during the meal." (on the other side of the table).

AMONG (also AMONGST in BrE)

/əˈmʌŋst/  /əˈmʌŋst/

We use among to say that someone or something is included in a particular group of people or things. These things aren't clearly separated because they are part of a crowd or a mass of objects. We can also use among when we refer to a place surrounded by people or things.

"His family connections helped ensure his position among the elite."

"The suicide rate among young male prisoners is high."

"Their house was hidden among the trees."

"I found the letter amongst his papers."

"It's OK, you're among friends now."

"The celebrity was standing among a crowd of admirers."

BETWEEN

Use between with two items which are CLEARLY separated. (Use in between for something located at a midpoint on an imaginary line.)

If someone or something is between two other people or things, the two people or things are on each side of them

"There is a gulf between the two cities." (Two things are on each side.)

"My husband and I keep our secrets between ourselves."

"Q comes between P and R in the English alphabet."

in between: "She sat in between her two sons."

Between can be used for more than two things alone. In this case don't use among. For example, between can be used with several points of geography or people.

"Switzerland lies between France, Germany, Austria and Italy."

"Between your sister, your brother, and your cousin, we’ll get this sorted out."

Use between to refer to the period of time that separates two days, years, events, etc.

"Don't eat between meals."

in between: Try to avoid snacks in between meals.

"Children must attend school between the ages of 5 and 16."

"They lived in New York between 2002 and 2004."

"What were you doing between 5.30 pm and 7.00 pm?"

IN THE MIDDLE OF (also in the midst of)

In the middle of specifies a middle placement, something that is at an equal distance from all its edges or sides. The middle of something is the part of it that is furthest from its edges, ends, or outside surface.

"Her car was stuck in the middle of the road."

"The phone rang in the middle of the night."

"You can’t leave in the middle of the meeting!"

"The house is set in the midst of large gardens."

in the middle of vs between

50 is in the middle of 0 and 100. It's also between them.

3 is between 0 and 100 but it's NOT in the middle at all.

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