below V.S. under ?????

[blacknomi]

Dear all,

How can I teach these 2 prepositions? When should I use 'under'? When should i use 'below'?

I am sitting under a tree.
I am sitting below a tree.


There is a bag under the desk.
There is a bag below the desk.


Thank you.

 

[Tdol]

I'd sit under a tree and the bag would be under the desk.

I'm on a break at work now, so I'll reply in more detail this evening when I have more time. ;-)

 

[blacknomi]

I'd sit under a tree and the bag would be under the desk.

I'm on a break at work now, so I'll reply in more detail this evening when I have more time. ;-)

Dear tdol,
Thannnnnnk you a lot in advance.

I use 'under' when sth relates to a 'SPACE' concept. the object is somewhere out there, doesn't really have the exact location.


:eyes: sabrina

 

[MikeNewYork]

Dear all,

How can I teach these 2 prepositions? When should I use 'under'? When should i use 'below'?

I am sitting under a tree.
I am sitting below a tree.


There is a bag under the desk.
There is a bag below the desk.


Thank you.

I would sit "under" a tree.

A bag could be below or under a desk, though "under" would be more common. :wink:

 

[Tdol]

There are occasions when we can only say 'below':

I live on the top floor and my friend lives on the floor below.
;-)

 

[blacknomi]

There are occasions when we can only say 'below':

I live on the top floor and my friend lives on the floor below.
;-)

Is 'below' used when there is a surface above? when there's sth above, i can say below.


For example.
We are on the 2nd floor and the flower shop is below us on the ground floor.



:wink: sabrina :wink:

 

[RonBee]

There are occasions when we can only say 'below':

I live on the top floor and my friend lives on the floor below.
;-)

Is 'below' used when there is a surface above? when there's sth above, i can say below.


For example.
We are on the 2nd floor and the flower shop is below us on the ground floor.



:wink: sabrina :wink:

Yes, that one is fine.

 

[blacknomi]

There are occasions when we can only say 'below':

I live on the top floor and my friend lives on the floor below.
;-)

Is 'below' used when there is a surface above? when there's sth above, i can say below.


For example.
We are on the 2nd floor and the flower shop is below us on the ground floor.



:wink: sabrina :wink:

Yes, that one is fine.

Dear Ronbee,
Thanks for the patience to explain these. I guess 'below' and 'under' are clearer a little bit. In my first language, we just use one word to mean "down", "beneath", "under" and "below". That's why i'm confused.

Again, Thanks.

have a nice weekend.


:silly: sabrina :silly:

 

[RonBee]

You're welcome.

It can get a little complicated. Being a native speaker, it is often more difficult for me to explain the choice than to know what word to use.

 

[Tdol]

It's grammatical- you would have to use underneath, but I still don't like that very much. ;-)