Prepositions, Over/Above

Idiomas

27/07/2015

Prepositions are something that people have great difficulty learning even if you are an intermediate student. The most common prepositions are IN/ON and AT but today I would like to explain the difference between over and above.

Over/Above – Adverb

over implies movement from one location or position to another:

They climbed over the fence.

I knocked over a glass of water.

above that function similarly imply only location, not movement:

We lay on our backs and looked at the clouds above.

You can write to us at the address shown above.

Preposition

Both over and above can mean "at or to a place that is higher than someone or something," but over is somewhat more common:

A light hangs over/above the table.

He raised his arms over/above his head.

She rents an apartment over/above a bookstore.

Both can also mean "more than something":

I value time over/above money.

Both prepositions can also mean "more loudly and clearly than (another sound)," although again, over is more common:

I could barely hear the music over/above the noise of the crowd.

Temperature/age  

In measurements of temperature and height we use above. In measurements of ages and speeds we use over.

• The temperature never rose above 5 degrees Celsius.
• The building is 800m above sea level.
• You have to be over 18 to see that film.