I am unsure on when to use from instead of among and vice versa.
Here is the question that I missed on an exam:
The man had to choose [__] 6 ties for the interview.
I chose from which apparently was wrong, even if, to me, from sounds correct as well as among sounds correct.
I have tried to look this up on the Internet with no avail, so any help would be appreciated.
Best Answer
Both are valid, but they say very slightly different things. Carlo mentioned you can say "I chose from the menu" but note that you cannot say "*I chose among the menu" nor "*I chose from among the menu." I think that gives us the key to the difference.
When you say "chose [from] among" I assume you mean six physical ties. Now that you've taken one, only five are left. But when you say "chose from" I entertain the possibility that you mean six kinds of tie. That is, maybe you were shopping on Amazon, and there are still six ties for the next customer to consider.
This is a rule that runs at large. The difference between two expressions often cannot be seen without some context around them.