Uses of 'each other'...

[Mark Skype Teacher]

Hi I'm trying to explain the meaning of 'each other' to a Spanish student but she is having trouble grabbing it.

The dictionary says: 'Used to indicate that a relationship or an action is reciprocal among the members of the set referred to by the antecedent: The boys like each other'.

I have said that the action is done to all people or that the relationship influences everyone.

Does anyone have an alternative explanation for this pronoun? Many thanks in advance.

[LauraM]

Maybe it would help to clarify if you say that "each other" refers to two people only.  In other words, it is a reciprocal action in which two people are involved.  As to  your example, "The boys like each other," another way of explaining it might be to say that the each boy likes the other boy. 

When more than two people are involved it should be "one another" to indicate reciprocal action or relationship.  Thus if there were five boys, it would be "The (five) boys like one another."  So I would definitely point this out as it might help to make the meaning more clear. 

[Dame6089]

Maybe it would help to clarify if you say that "each other" refers to two people only.  In other words, it is a reciprocal action in which two people are involved.  As to  your example, "The boys like each other," another way of explaining it might be to say that the each boy likes the other boy. 

When more than two people are involved it should be "one another" to indicate reciprocal action or relationship.  Thus if there were five boys, it would be "The (five) boys like one another."  So I would definitely point this out as it might help to make the meaning more clear.

Is this true? I have always been under the impression that you could use "each other" with more than 2 people. Not arguing with you, just generally interested. Is there a rule or something for why you can't use "each other" with more than 2 people?

[MyDigitalpoint]

Is this true? I have always been under the impression that you could use "each other" with more than 2 people. Not arguing with you, just generally interested. Is there a rule or something for why you can't use "each other" with more than 2 people?

Yes! I made the same assumption for years until I began to write professionally and found that it's grammatically incorrect using "each other" when more than two persons are involved in a relation, action or activity.

Correct form is "one another" when there are 3 or more individuals involved

[Mark Skype Teacher]

Hey all,

Thanks for your valuable internet.

That is great. I never knew the rule about the 'one another' thing being applicale to more than 2 people.

However, I have found the following FYI (only for discussion): ' ...Sixty-four percent of Usage Panelists say that they follow this rule (about using 'one another' for 3 or more) in their own writing. But it should be pointed out that many reputable writers from Samuel Johnson onward have ignored the rule (about using 'one another' for 3 or more) and that the use of each other for more than two, or of one another for two, cannot be considered incorrect. In particular, there are contexts in which each other and one another are subtly different in meaning. When speaking of an ordered series of events or stages, one another is the preferred form. Thus the sentence The waiters followed one another into the room was preferred by 73 percent of the Usage Panel to the sentence The waiters followed each other into the room.'

Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/each+other

I will keep to Laura M's (thanks!) rule however, although I'm sure that perhaps the vast majority of native people (English speakers) won't know the difference. All the best

[Dame6089]

Yes! I made the same assumption for years until I began to write professionally and found that it's grammatically incorrect using "each other" when more than two persons are involved in a relation, action or activity.

Correct form is "one another" when there are 3 or more individuals involved

Huh, that is really interesting! I would imagine that less than half of native speakers know this. I know all of my college educated friends use each other incorrectly as well. I guess it is one of those rules that just slips under the radar.

[LauraM]

Hey all,

Thanks for your valuable internet.

That is great. I never knew the rule about the 'one another' thing being applicale to more than 2 people.

However, I have found the following FYI (only for discussion): ' ...Sixty-four percent of Usage Panelists say that they follow this rule (about using 'one another' for 3 or more) in their own writing. But it should be pointed out that many reputable writers from Samuel Johnson onward have ignored the rule (about using 'one another' for 3 or more) and that the use of each other for more than two, or of one another for two, cannot be considered incorrect. In particular, there are contexts in which each other and one another are subtly different in meaning. When speaking of an ordered series of events or stages, one another is the preferred form. Thus the sentence The waiters followed one another into the room was preferred by 73 percent of the Usage Panel to the sentence The waiters followed each other into the room.'

Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/each+other

I will keep to Laura M's (thanks!) rule however, although I'm sure that perhaps the vast majority of native people (English speakers) won't know the difference. All the best

Mark,  thanks for the link to this resource.  It's quite interesting.  Thanks also for posing the question as it's been a valuable lesson.

"Each other" versus "one another" is one of those rules that gets forgotten because the incorrect usage is so pervasive.  I do think that "one another" adds much more clarity to the meaning when there is a group involved. 

And, as always, it's worthwhile to check and find out what is actually correct as we can't go by every day common usage, especially not on the Internet!

[Evelyne]

I've also always used "each other" for two groups if the groups are being treated as a single entity. For instance "The teams eyed each other warily." I'm not sure if this is proper or not, but I believe it is.

[LauraM]

I've also always used "each other" for two groups if the groups are being treated as a single entity. For instance "The teams eyed each other warily." I'm not sure if this is proper or not, but I believe it is.

Yes, that would be correct for just the reason you stated; two teams are each a single entity.  If you have three or more teams, then, again the "one another" would be the correct usage.

For example:  "All of the teams in the tournament eyed one another warily." 

This would imply there are quite a few teams. 

[MyDigitalpoint]

It's certainly curious that many native English speakers ignore basics of their own language, but I believe the problem comes from their former education.

I found a very old English book (from 1944) that is aimed to teach little children, and one of the pages is illustrated with a group of boys that "are inviting each other to play"

Being a group of five children the book should read "are inviting one another to play"

The book was published by a New York editorial house and has not author credit.