Q: I have a question that has bothered me for years. I was taught English in Paris by a French teacher educated at Oxford. If I remember correctly, the phrase “each other” is supposed to be used for two people (i.e., Jane and John love each other) and the phrase “one another” should be used when more than two people are involved (i.e., the teacher and her students love one another). That’s the way I have used those phrases, but no one else does. Am I right or wrong? Thank you for caring for our language. It is massacred by too many!

A: Traditionally, “each other” has been used to discuss two people or entities and “one another” to discuss more than two. Speaking about two children, you’d say, “They shared with each other.” Speaking of three or more, you’d say, “They shared with one another.”

But there’s also a long tradition of referring colloquially to only two people with “one another,” as in “Husband and wife should love one another.” Using “each other” in reference to three or more people, though, would be unacceptable to most usage experts. Frankly, it sounds wrong to me.

It should be noted, however, that many sources, including the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, have relaxed the standard distinction between “each other” and “one another.” And that relaxation no doubt reflects the way these expressions are increasingly being used.

Hope this helps. Short answer: you’re right and your teacher’s right.