0Students, today I will discuss a topic on preposition. Most of the times we often get confused with Preposition of Position- on / above / over. The confusion arises in their usage. Today I will share a concept with you and will make you understand their usage. after reading this you confusions will be over once for all.
See, a preposition is a word or group of words which are used before noun, pronoun, gerund etc to show its relation to another word in the sentence.
Now let us see these 3 prepositions- on / above / over and check their differences:
1. On- we use it when the following conditions are observed:
when the upper object:
- takes a vertical position
- touches and rests itself on the lower object
- both objects are stationary
- usually the upper object is comparatively smaller than the lower object **
* Note- Also in case of flat surfaces like a wall- preposition 'on' can be used.
** Also, try to observe that mostly the upper object is smaller in size than the lower object. (and this is the reason why we keep smaller objects 'on' the larger objects and use preposition- 'on')
examples-
He is standing on the roof-top.
Mobile is on the table
She hung the calendar on the wall (calendar and wall are touching each other).
The clock is hanging on the wall.
The bird is sitting on the tree
2. Above- we use it when the following conditions are observed:
- when the two objects (upper and lower) are not touching each other
- vertical position is not necessary
- and most importantly the upper object should not have sides falling, i.e. it should be a 2 dimensional (2D) object.
- size of the two objects doesn't matter.
* Note- Above is used for showing the comparison of heights, temperature, level, no. of students, etc. It shows 'more than'.
examples-
The sky is above our heads.
The fan is running above us.
She hung the calendar above the desk (calendar and desk are not touching each other).
the bird is flying above the tree.
The clouds were above the city.
Today temperature is above normal (comparison).
The river is flowing above the danger sign (comparison)
3. Over- we use it when the following conditions are observed:
- when the upper object is larger enough to cover the lower object.
- it should have sides falling on the lower smaller object, i.e. it should be a 3-dimensional object (3D).
- The upper object takes a vertical position, i.e. vertically over the smaller object.
- It doesn’t matter whether the two objects touch each other or not.
* Note- 'Over' also shows Movement, i.e. if the smaller object shows a movement across another object then also over is used.
examples-
The roof of the room is over us (roof is Larger enough to cover us and 3D).
Kindly spread the cloth cover over the table. (when you spread the cloth cover then its sides fall over the table making a 3D shape).
Spread the bed sheet over the bed.
The bird flew over the lake. [it crossed the lake from one point to another - movement).
They held a large umbrella over her head. [umbrella has 3D parabolic sides falling over her head].
The bridge is over the river (bridge has 3D shape and is larger enough to cover the 'width' of the river).
She is walking over the bridge (walking from one point to another - movement).
I hope you will like this post. Such concepts will improve your spoken English to a great extent. keep practising as practice makes you perfect. Do contact me for any queries.
If you have any questions or any feedback regarding this post please do share. will come out with other similar posts which will improve your English to a great extent.
