Where the dangers presented by those with a little learning are allayed
Each Other v One Another
Let's start with a couple of undisputed facts:
- "Each" means "every".
- "One" is one of the two numbers next to "two".
Right, so on the day when every native-English speaker and every English dictionary in the world agree that "each" means "two", and "one" means "every", you can start to follow the fabricated-by-a-moron-because-he-needed-tenure rule about "each other" and "one another".
Until then, bear in mind that "each other" has tended, historically and instinctively, to be used when one is talking about something between other things, and "one another" has tended, historically and instinctively, to be used when one is talking about something being done to other things, e.g:
- They shared stuff between each other.
- They gave stuff to one another.
But even that is not a rule, because either term can be used in any example you can think of (including those two), so don't take it as being one – tendency and rule are not synonyms (although the term "general rule" is often used in place of "tendency").
"Each other" and "one another", however, are synonyms, so use them as such.
Synonyms are allowed in the English language – lookit! We even have a name for them!
(The name is "synonyms", in case you... Oh, never mind.)
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