English for Students

English : Each and Both

How to use Each and Both in the following sentences?

Is there a difference between these two sentences?

Bala and Geetha both received a letter this morning.

And

Bala and Geetha each received a letter this morning.

Yes, there is. You would use the first sentence to mean that Bala and Geetha received a single letter that was addressed to both of them. In other words, there was only one letter received in the morning. However, people often use it to mean that two letters were received, one by each person. Careful users of the language believe that this is wrong usage. The second sentence, on the other hand, is specific in meaning that Bala and Geetha each received a letter. In other words, two letters were received in the morning.