above/over

[Winwin2011]

Above and over can both mean higher than.


The helicopter hovered above/over the building.

• The water came up above/over our knees.

Are they both correct for the following sentences?

1. There is a picture of my mother over/above my bed.
2. A lamp is above/over us.



Above is preferred when we want to mean that one thing is not directly over another.

• There is a small cottage above the lake. (The cottage is not directly over the lake.)

What does 'one thing is not directly over another' mean?


Is there any difference between above and over?

Thanks.

[yousrati]

The two English terms “above and over” are both sometimes confusing the students in their usage?
- "Above" refers to vertical (physical or figurative) superiority
- "Over" simply indicates superiority or transcendence.

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