English is a universal language so every person is familiar with this language. People who speak their own native language also know a little English, they know enough English to communicate easily. There are people who are fluent in English and can tell even the difference in the sentences that look the same but are completely different.
English isn’t complicated if the basics are understood properly, although there can be small things that a person will only learn by speaking.
People who are fluent in English will always use the right words for a sentence because they are aware that even words like “in” and “between” can change the whole idea of the sentence.
Sometimes, there are sentences that are difficult to comprehend just because of one word. Sentences like “What is the difference between this and that” and “What is the difference in this and that”. “In” and “between” can make sentences look the same, but they aren’t, both of the questions are different.
- Difference between this and that: The idea of this sentence is quite simple, “this” and “that” are being compared. They both are two different things that are being compared.
- Difference in this and that: In this, “this” and “that” have similar nature, but contrasted in the joint nature with a third thing which is different.
The rules of English can be confusing, even for a fluent person sometimes. The reason English gets extremely confusing is that its roots are combined with many languages like, German and Latin. As English has words borrowed from these languages; therefore it has all the rules from each of the roots. There are innumerable rules that are from all the languages that English has ‘borrowed’ from, for example, a sentence doesn’t end with a preposition, this rule comes from the language, Latin. A prepositional in the form of a verb can’t be separated in order to be placed in two areas of a sentence.
Keep reading to know more.
What does “Difference between this and that” mean?
When you are differentiating 2 things that are of similar nature, the sentence would be “difference between this and that”. This rule isn’t difficult to understand, the only thing you have to keep in mind is that, when you are differentiating between two things, they should be similar in nature.
When comes to differentiating, there are different words used. However, it all depends on what and how you are differentiating things. You can differentiate between more than 2 two things, but when you are doing it, the words are different for such sentences.
When you want to differentiate 3 or more things, the sentence would be “difference among this, that, and the other thing”.
These are merely 2 rules which are quite simple if you ask me because there are rules that will boggle your mind.
When do you use the word “between”?
“Between” is basically used when talking about two things, although if the sentence sounds awkward, other rules should be considered.
Always use between when referring to only two things. There are people who use among sometimes when between should be used and vise versa. Among is used when referring to 3 or more things.
In English there is a word for every situation; therefore it gets complicated sometimes, but when you understand them they start to seem much easier. When it comes to “between” it can be easy to explain, but if we go in-depth it will get slightly complex.
Here are different ways of using “between” and “among”.
Between | Among |
When talking about two things. | Among is sometimes written as amongst |
It is used when connecting two periods of time. | It is used to show the connection between three or more things |
It is used when something is in the middle of two things | It is used when something is in the middle of a group of things. |
Is the “Difference in this and that” more correct?
“Difference in this and that” is correct, but it is used in a different way. It is used when “this” and “that” are similar in nature, but there is a third thing that is contrasting in the joint nature.
English has different types of innumerable rules, but to some people, some rules seem wrong when in reality, they aren’t. It’s merely the fact that you might not be familiar with the sentence and it isn’t possible to know and understand every rule of the English language.
“Difference in this and that” and “difference between this and that” both are correct, although in spoken English people more often use “difference between this and that” no matter what the situation is.
How do you use “in”?
In English Grammar, there are many aspects that need to be learned in order to speak and write in English. There are about 5 prepositions that are most used which are, in, on, at, of, and to.
Here is a video for prepositions that are mostly used incorrectly.
First, let’s talk about the preposition which is used in an incorrect way in many situations and sentences. “In” is considered a complicated proposition for some reason, it could be because “under” is another preposition and people think that it can be used instead of “in”.
Nonetheless, where “in” is supposed to be used, you can’t use another word because it can change the whole idea of the sentence.
Here are some situations when “in” should be used.
For Time
“In” should be used with parts of the day, month, seasons, and years. But don’t use it with time.
- I’m meeting you in the evening.
- My birthday is in November.
- I’ll visit you in winter.
- I turned 19 in 2001.
For Place
Use “in” when referring to a place.
Example:
- I will have lunch in my bedroom.
- We live in this country.
- The cat went in the house.
Should you use “Difference between” or “Difference in”?
“Difference between” and “difference in” can bot be used, but in different situations. When you are talking about differentiating two things that are similar in nature, use “difference between”.
When you are differentiating two things that are the same in nature, but contrasted joint nature with the third thing, use “difference in”.
Both ways are completely correct, but the rules for each of them are different. In spoken English, there isn’t an issue if you use “difference between” as this is the most used way. In written English, you should always use the rule that is suited for the specific situation.
To Conclude
English is a universal language’; therefore most of the population is familiar with this language. Even people who speak their own native language know how to speak English.
Not every person is fluent in every language, there is always a learning curve. English isn’t complicated if you understand the basics properly, but there are tons of rules that look the same but aren’t.
Sometimes, there are sentences that might look as if asking a question that isn’t complicated, but it would be asking a whole different question. For instance “What is the difference between this and that” and ” What is the difference in this and that”. “In” and “between” can make sentences look the same, but they are used in different situations.
“Difference between this and that” is most used in daily life even if it isn’t suited for a situation. “This” and “that” are being compared and both are two different things.
“Difference in this and that” isn’t used much in spoken English because most people don’t know when to use it. In this, “this” and “that” have similar nature, but have contrast in the joint nature with a third thing which is different.
“Difference between” and “difference in” both can be used because both are correct, but they are used in different situations.
The rules of English can be confusing because roots are combined with many languages like, German and Latin. As English has words borrowed from these languages that’s why it has all the rules from each of the roots, for example, a sentence doesn’t end with a preposition, this rule comes from the language, Latin. A prepositional in the form of a verb can’t be separated in order to be placed in two areas of a sentence.