Celebrity English

“I play Gwen Stacy and she’s a part of a love triangle between Peter Parker and Mary Jane, and that’s all I’m going to say about it.” - Bryce Dallas Howard, on her role in Spider-Man 3

Bryce has made an error in diction. She has used the preposition "between" in an awkward manner.

A controversy exists regarding the use of the word "between" with more than two items; some believe that “among” should be used in cases involving more than two items (read about the use of "between" and "among" to avoid making errors on standardized examinations).

Bryce's use of "between" in this quote is not necessarily an issue of "between vs. among." She has simply phrased her statement in an awkward manner. While it is clear that the members of the love triangle include Gwen, Peter, and Mary Jane, Bryce refers to "a love triangle between Peter Parker and Mary Jane." The literal interpretation of her statement is that there is a love triangle between Peter Parker and Mary Jane, and Gwen is part of it. This does not make sense. A better choice of preposition in this context is "with."

“I play Gwen Stacy and she’s a part of a love triangle with Peter Parker and Mary Jane, and that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

This syntax removes the preposition "between" from the sentence and avoids the controversy over whether a love triangle exists between three people or among three people.