Image via Wikipedia
“The pair looked at one another.”
No, they didn’t.
Editing is often intuitive. I could tell you, for instance, which usage is correct, but I couldn’t tell you why. It came up with a project and I got curious. Then I went to the Chicago Manual of Style. Here’s why for this one:
When two people are involved, the best way to write it is, “They looked at each other.” When it’s more than two people (or things, for that matter) use “one another.”
The distinction becomes clearer with things: “His eyesight was so poor that when he looked to the bowling pins standing at the end of the lane, they were just a soft white mass. Dave couldn’t distinguish one from another.” (That’s right.)
“Each other” in a group hits the reader’s eyes and ears wrong and they may not know why. (This is one reason reading aloud as you edit can be such a powerful trick of the trade.)
It’s not a big deal unless you’re a word nerd or getting paid to edit something. However, usually, if you write a passage that hits the reader wrong or makes them go back, there’s something quirky there that needs another look.
Related Articles
- Writers: Use a spill file as you edit (chazzwrites.wordpress.com)
- [process] Revising versus editing (jlake.com)
- Writers: How I edit (chazzwrites.wordpress.com)
- Why you should never, ever use two spaces after a period. (slate.com)
Filed under: Books, Editing, Editors, manuscript evaluation, publishing, rules of writing, Writers, writing tips, Chicago Manual of Style, Copy editing, each other versus one another, edit, editing, language usage, Style guide
[…] Edit Point: One another versus each other (chazzwrites.wordpress.com) […]
[…] Edit Point: One another versus each other (chazzwrites.wordpress.com) […]
[…] Edit Point: One another versus each other (chazzwrites.wordpress.com) […]
As a freelance editor, I often advise my clients about the different uses of “each other” and “one another.” It’s just something I’ve known for a long while. When I saw your mention of the Chicago Manual of Style reference, I began to try to find where this tenet was mentioned. Haven’t found it yet, but I would like to be able to cite the CMS chapter and paragraph. Can you help? Thanks.
As one might expect, ten minutes after posting my question, I found the answer in CMS 5.202: Glossary of Troublesome Expressions. Thanks for publishing your very helpful and informative blog.