Above vs Over – Know the Correct Usage

Hello readers! Welcome. In this article on ‘above vs over’, we are going to learn the correct usage of both the words with some example sentences. You will have an exercise at the end of the article. Once you are done with reading the article try to finish the exercise so that you can easily consolidate what you have learned.

Above vs Over

Both ‘Above’ and ‘Over’ are prepositions used to express the vertical relationship between two things. But the basic difference is that the word Above tends to suggest the meaning ‘on a higher level than‘ whereas the word Over is used to suggest closeness between two things.

• ABOVE – a higher level than
• OVER – closeness

Let’s see the following example sentences with the above words.

• The mother dog stood over her pups to save them from rain
• His house was on a hill above a beautiful beach

Both the words ‘Above’ and ‘Over’ in the above examples show a vertical relationship. In the first sentence, ‘over’ suggests closeness between the mother dog and her pups, and in the second example, the word ‘above’ suggests a higher altitude of the hill compared to the beach. 

Some more examples:

• There was a picture above the door
• There was a picture over the door 

Both above and over can be used in the above example. The first one suggests that there was a picture on the wall above the door and the second one suggests that the picture was on the door itself. Thus we can use the words above and over to show a higher level and closeness respectively.

Exercise: Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with either above or over.

1. My house is _______ the tree
2. The maid spreads a blanket _______ the mattress
3. The clouds are moving fast ________ the city
4. He slept _______ the bench
5. He applied red paint _______ the white paint

Post your answers in the comment section below

Also read: It’s vs Its – Avoid the basic Mistake

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