between…and…是个很常用的说法,例子也很多,如:
He felt something between laughter and anger. 他既觉得好笑,又感到气愤。
I’ll phone you between lunch and three o’clock. 我将在午餐后三点钟以前给你打电话。
His father gave him a choice between a recorder and a bicycle. 他父亲让他在录音机和自行车之间选一样。
但可以说 between…or… 吗?一般认为是不可以的,但有趣的是,偏偏就有这样一个句子,用的是between…or…:
She had to choose between giving up her job or hiring a nanny. 她得在放弃工作和雇保姆之间作出抉择。
▲成立于1998年,以致力于帮助人们享受并有效使用英语为己任的美国Portico Books 明确指出:“Between” should be followed by a plural noun or pronoun, or by nouns and/or pronouns joined by “and”:
Nonstandard: The Super Bowl features a spectacular half-time show between the game. (“between” followed by a singular noun)
Standard: The Super Bowl features a spectacular show between the two halves of the game. (“between” followed by plural “halves”)
Standard: The Super Bowl features a spectacular show between the first half and the second half. (“between” followed by compound object joined by “and”)
Nonstandard: I couldn't decide between the shrimp or the steak.
Standard: I couldn't decide between the shrimp and the steak.(注意在这个否定句中依然如此。)
▲当然,尽管这样,依然可见一些不规范的用法(用or 代替and),有人认为这仅仅是个人风格问题,不过我的建议是最好不用or。