I am not a teacher.
Yes, that sounds like a good rule. By the way, I think you meant "castle". I read it "cattle" at first, which doesn't work at all.
Is it true that over means just vertically higher position, while above means all the higher positions either vertically or diagonally? That's why the below's over doesn't make sense?
ex)The castle stands above(over) the lake?
Last edited by keannu; 14-Feb-2011 at 15:20.
I am not a teacher.
Yes, that sounds like a good rule. By the way, I think you meant "castle". I read it "cattle" at first, which doesn't work at all.
I was picturing cattle walking on water.
Me too. (The cattle walking on the water. Holy cow!)
If you say the castle is over the lake, it sounds like it is magically hovering there. That could work in some fairy stories, though!
I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.
I would put it this way: The castle does not cover any part of the surface of the lake. It's just in a higher position than the lake. That's the reason we say "above the lake". If it were mid-day the shadow of the castle would not fall on the lake.