below and under

[jiang]

Dear teachers,

I find 'below' and 'under' confusing.
For example, can I use 'under' in the sentence "He is standing below the tree" instead of 'below'?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

[Hi_there_Carl]

Dear Jiang,

I is understandable that you are having difficulty with these words as they do convey similar meanings. I will try to help you understand the difference.

First, normally the correct way to phrase the statement that you asked about is "He is standing under the tree" if you mean that the branches of the tree are over his head.

The opposite of under is "over" and the opposite of above is "below". Usually we use "over" to describe thinks that are directly above you and we use "above" to describe things that higher than you are but not necessarily directly above you.

Here are some examples of each:

It is nice to have a roof over your head.
Heaven is above.
He has a cloud over his head.
The sky is above and the earth below.

I hope this helps

[jiang]

Dear Carl,

Thank you very much for your explanation. It is very clear and I think I understand it. Now I am going to do the exercises to see if I can make correct choices.

Jiang

Dear Jiang,

I is understandable that you are having difficulty with these words as they do convey similar meanings. I will try to help you understand the difference.

First, normally the correct way to phrase the statement that you asked about is "He is standing under the tree" if you mean that the branches of the tree are over his head.

The opposite of under is "over" and the opposite of above is "below". Usually we use "over" to describe thinks that are directly above you and we use "above" to describe things that higher than you are but not necessarily directly above you.

Here are some examples of each:

It is nice to have a roof over your head.
Heaven is above.
He has a cloud over his head.
The sky is above and the earth below.

I hope this helps

[jiang]

Dear Carl,

I did exercises on the prepositions. I have another problem:
Could you please explain the differences between "below " and "beneath"?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Dear Jiang,

I is understandable that you are having difficulty with these words as they do convey similar meanings. I will try to help you understand the difference.

First, normally the correct way to phrase the statement that you asked about is "He is standing under the tree" if you mean that the branches of the tree are over his head.

The opposite of under is "over" and the opposite of above is "below". Usually we use "over" to describe thinks that are directly above you and we use "above" to describe things that higher than you are but not necessarily directly above you.

Here are some examples of each:

It is nice to have a roof over your head.
Heaven is above.
He has a cloud over his head.
The sky is above and the earth below.

I hope this helps

[jctgf]

hi there,

i am just a student...

i have an English teacher who is a native from the USA. she has been living in my country only for a few years and she hardly speak my language.

she told me that, in order to make things easier, u can always use UNDER, instead of "beneath" and "underneath", whose exact meanings are extremely difficult for a non-native to understand.

so, if u want to stay in a comfortable zone and do not want to take unnecessary chances, forget about "beneath" and "underneath" when speaking.

regards

[Hi_there_Carl]

Good advice jctgf

[jiang]

Hi jctgf,
Thank you very much for your help. Now I understand it.

Best wishes,

Jiang

hi there,

i am just a student...

i have an English teacher who is a native from the USA. she has been living in my country only for a few years and she hardly speak my language.

she told me that, in order to make things easier, u can always use UNDER, instead of "beneath" and "underneath", whose exact meanings are extremely difficult for a non-native to understand.

so, if u want to stay in a comfortable zone and do not want to take unnecessary chances, forget about "beneath" and "underneath" when speaking.

regards