Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 3 down vote favorite

I looked at "Between A and B vs from A to B", but it didn't mention a third variation I've been hearing more often, recently.

Even on the Australian national broadcaster, the ABC, I've heard statements by reporters like

The cost was estimated to be between A to B dollars.

Have the rules of grammar changed, or is this as ungrammatical as I think it is?

share|improve this question
Call them up and tell them to stop using bad grammar. I hate this construction and want to see it stamped out! – Hellion Jul 9 '11 at 19:15

4 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

It is not right to use between A to B, or from A and B for that matter, though the former is a common error.

Intuitively, to suggests motion just like from, while between is a reference to two objects and should be paired with and.

share|improve this answer
I agree, except that to doesn't suggest motion to me: it suggests a range of values. We can say something is between the endpoints of a range, but not between a range. It seem incomplete. – pavium Jul 9 '11 at 10:51
yes, I see from your Network Profile that you're more of a mathematician than a programmer. I see a range as a single object. Both are valid viewpoints, I think. – pavium Jul 9 '11 at 12:38
up vote 4 down vote

I would say

... between A and B.

but

... from A to B.

share|improve this answer
up vote 2 down vote

It's between A and B or between Bs.

The dog crawled between us and lay down at our feet.
Traffic was at a standstill between exits 12 and 14.
They had drunk between them a bottle of Chianti.

The NOAD reports some notes about the usage of between.

Between is used in speaking of only two things, people, etc.: "We must choose between two equally unattractive alternatives." Among is used for collective and undefined relations of usually three or more: "Agreement on landscaping was reached among all the neighbors." But where there are more than two parties involved, between may be used to express one-to-one relationships of pairs within the group or the sense 'shared by': "There is close friendship between the members of the club."

share|improve this answer
I agree with this, too. Between a [range of values] is unsatisfactory because the programmer in me identifies a range as a single thing, and, as the NOAD report states, you can only be between two things. – pavium Jul 9 '11 at 12:04
up vote 1 down vote

If it is commonly used in Australian English, then it is grammatical in that dialect.

That said, it will likely sound odd in pretty much any other dialect, and may lead your audience to ask whether you have made an error.

share|improve this answer
2  
My impression is that it is becoming more and more common here -- but it may be that because it grates, I'm sensitised to it. I'm not likely to adopt that pattern of speech. – pavium Jul 9 '11 at 12:09

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.