Confusing Prepositions – above or over?

That’s above my head. That’s over my head.  Which one should I use? Do I live in a flat above a shop or over a shop? Is the aeroplane above us or over us?

If you’ve ever mixed up above and over then read on!  Let’s face it, prepositions are a bit tricky, especially with the many different ways to use them.  Have you ever had someone tell you that you used the wrong one, but they couldn’t tell you why?

I remember a time some years ago when there was confusion amongst parents because of these two prepositions.  It involved the length of school uniform skirts!

The parents were told that their daughters should have school uniform skirts that were over their knees. Some of the parents became upset because they believed that the girls’ knees would be exposed.  They didn’t realise that using the word over in this way means ‘covering’.  If the school had said the skirts needed to be above the knees, then the upset parents would have been correct. It is true that over and above both mean ‘higher than’. But there are a few other sneaky meanings for both words, and as we have just discovered they can even be used as opposites!

This unfortunate misunderstanding could have been avoided if only those parents had seen my new video!

Find out all about the different (and similar) ways to use above and over.  Don’t forget to practise by writing each one in a sentence of your own.  Then when you hear these prepositions you will have a better understanding, and be able to use them with greater confidence in your English conversations.

(Please note, I have an updated version of this lesson – Above, Over, Over And Above)