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Do in-between and between have different meanings?
What is the difference between in-between and between?

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1 Answer

up vote 7 down vote accepted

Well, between all by itself acts as a preposition, but in between functions as an adverb.

preposition: I found myself caught between a rock and a hard place.

adverb: There was a rock and a hard place, and there I was lying in between.

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In the second example, in seems associated to the verb, rather than to between, as in the solution lies in a return to "traditional family values". –  kiamlaluno Feb 13 '11 at 9:49
@kiamlaluno: "in between" taken together is an adverb because it modifies the verb; your usage of "...lies in a return" uses in as a preposition. –  Robusto Feb 13 '11 at 11:48
I suspect most casual uses of in between are wrong: "We were in between a rock and a hard place." –  David May 27 '11 at 2:33
When does one use a hyphen, as in in-between? I've seen this used quite often, but is it incorrect? –  bernk Nov 4 at 14:33
In a compound modifier you would hyphenate it. "It was an in-between kind of thing." "Sally was an in-between girlfriend." –  Robusto Nov 4 at 20:53
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protected by RegDwigнt Jun 8 '12 at 19:33

