Above vs Over - Grammar Shorts — Explanation

Practice above vs over with easy English grammar exercises, explanations, and examples for beginners and ESL learners.

Above vs Over - Explanation

Both “above” and “over” are used when talking about something higher up but they are used in different situations.

Above

We use above when something is higher than something else, but it is not covering it or touching it.

Use “above” to:

• Higher position
• Levels and standards
• Numbers and measurements
• Height and temperature

Examples:

• The birds are flying above the trees.
• Her score is above average.
• The temperature is above 0°C.
• We climbed above 2,000 meters.

Over

We use over when something is covering, touching or moving from one side to another. Numbers meaning “more than” are also frequent.

Use “over” to:

• Hiding something
• Movement over
• Age, speed and volume
• Height of people

Examples:

• She put a blanket over the baby.
• The plane flew over the mountains.
• He is over 6 feet tall.
• The company has over 1,000 employees.

• Use above for no contact position.
• Over: to cover, move over, or “more than.”