What are the differences?

[jashy_EPT]

Can you please help me identifying the differnce among the words under, beneath, below and underneath. After defining each word, can you please use it in a sentence.

Thank you in advance..

[philadelphia]

This forum is under the control of somebody.

See my next sentence below.

She thinks it's beneath her to work.

There's nothing underbeneath of my sentence.

[Teia]

Can you please help me identifying the differnce among the words under, beneath, below and underneath. After defining each word, can you please use it in a sentence.

Thank you in advance..

Below means that one object is on lower level than the other.

Underneath often means that one object is usually touching the other [ but it is below the other one]. In this respect, it is the opposite of on top of.


Position as a relation between two objects can best be explained by a picture.Imagine that a car is standing on a bridge.
The river is below the car.
There are clouds above the car.
The road is under[neath] the car.
The roofrack is on top of the car.
The road stretches behind and in front of the car.
A man is standing by / beside the car.

Other examples:

When it started to rain, we all ran underneath the trees.
The dog crawled underneath the fence.

Many place prepositions can be used in a more abstract way :

beneath : Such behaviour is beneath [ = not worthy of him]
under : under surveillance, under suspicion

source: A Communicative Grammar of English by G. Leech and J. Svartnik