Above or Over

Above or Over

Both above and over are used grammatically as adverbs, prepositions, and adjectives.

Firstly, the adverb over implies movement from one location or position to another and is used immediately after a verb.

E.g. The goat jumped over the fence.

Or, She leaned over my shoulder to peer into my computer.

Above as an adverb does not imply movement, but only location.

E.g. We lay on the ground and looked at the twinkling stars above.

Or, Respond to the letter on the address indicated above.

Both over and above as prepositions can mean "at or to a place that is higher than someone or something," but over is more commonly used.

E.g.

My daughter has made her home over/above a restaurant.

Or, He looked over/above her head at the bell dangling from the door.

They can also mean more than something.

E.g.

This movie is meant for individuals above 18 years
Or, This movie is meant for individuals over 18 years.

Please note, over is used more commonly than above and there are a number of situations when above is not used at all even if the meaning fits.

E.g.

The Director was waiting for over (not above)15 minutes to begin the meeting.

Or, Over(not above) 100 guests attended the wedding of my daughter.

Test your understanding - Choose the correct sentence from the pair of sentences given below

1.
a. The horse jumped over the obstacles effortlessly within a short time.
b. The horse jumped above the obstacles effortlessly within a short time.

View Answer / Hide Answer

2.
a. Some children were looking at the bright full moon above and were mesmerized by its beauty.
b. Some children were looking at the bright full moon over and were mesmerized by its beauty.

View Answer / Hide Answer

3.
1.There were above 250 delegates in the conference and they were joined by another 100 during lunch.
b.There were over 250 delegates in the conference and they were joined by another 100 during lunch.

View Answer / Hide Answer

4.
a. She kept my mobile on the refrigerator and I was looking for it all over.
b.She kept my mobile on the refrigerator and I was looking for it all above.

View Answer / Hide Answer

5.
a. Sunil’s little three-month old daughter is learning to roll above.
b.Sunil’s little three-month old daughter is learning to roll over.

View Answer / Hide Answer