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Thread: "in the middle" or "in between"?

  1. #1
    LeTyan is offline Junior Member
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    Default "in the middle" or "in between"?

    Below is the scene:

    "You are not good.
    You are not bad.
    You are somewhere in the middle
    OR you are somewhere in between"

    I know for sure that "in the middle" is acceptable in here.
    But what about "in between"? I have never been offcially taught such an expression,
    While I did hear it multiple times from native speakers' conversations.

    Does saying "in between" make you sound hip or uneducated?
    Or is it a matter of AmE or BrE?

    Thanks ahead!

  2. #2
    5jj's Avatar
    5jj
    5jj is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: "in the middle" or "in between"?

    Quote Originally Posted by LeTyan View Post
    "You are not good.You are not bad.
    You are somewhere in the middle
    OR you are somewhere in between"

    I know for sure that "in the middle" is acceptable in here.
    But what about "in between"
    I prefer 'in between'.
    Does saying "in between" make you sound hip or uneducated?
    Neither.
    LeTyan and Odessa Dawn like this.
    Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
    If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.


  3. #3
    noppanat is offline Newbie
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    Default Re: "in the middle" or "in between"?

    Between = two (good / bad)
    in the middle = more than two

  4. #4
    Rover_KE is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: "in the middle" or "in between"?

    Quote Originally Posted by noppanat View Post
    Between = two (good / bad)
    in the middle = more than two
    This is not so. See piggy in the middle.

    Noppanat, please read this extract from the forum's Posting Guidelines:

    "You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post."


    Rover
    5jj, LeTyan, bhaisahab and 1 others like this.

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