COMMON ERRORS IN EVERYDAY LIFE: KEY EXPRESSIONS - II

 

COMMON ERRORS IN EVERYDAY LIFE: KEY EXPRESSIONS - II

Dear readers, in the previous post, we discussed the usages of common errors in terms of key expressions- About and On that we encounter in our daily conversations. In this post, let us explore more about some key expressions, i.e., Above and Over used in daily conversation. Some of the crucial errors that tend to occur naturally in our conversation are briefed below:

Look at the following statements:

Above/ Over

1.     Above is a preposition that means at a higher level than. Sometimes, Above and Over would give a similar meaning. Over also means moving from one side to the other. For instance,

i.       The airplane flew above the clouds/flew over the clouds.

ii.     The mosquitoes fluttering over our heads.

2.     When there is no physical contact between two things, above should be used, not over.

i.         An associate professor is above an assistant professor in a college.

ii.       The eagles are flying above the clouds.

3.     To talk of the things that are at a higher level we use above, but not over.

i.       Ooty is located about 2000 feet above sea level.

ii.     The Vellingiri hill is about 2500 feet above sea level.

4.     When one thing touches or covers another over should be used.

i.       I wear trousers over my waist.

ii.     We put a plastic cloth over the table.

5.     Over is generally used with numbers.

i.       Over 200 students participated in Gurupuja Literary Competitions.

ii.     My brother earns over seventy thousand rupees per month. (DON’T say above seventy thousand rupees.)

6.     When we deal with measurement or (the) average, use above not over.

i.       The literacy rate in Tamil Nadu is five percent above that of Odisha. (NOT over)

ii.     The average income rate in Chennai is two percent above that of Trichy.

With this understanding, hereafter let us follow the key expressions, above and over appropriately in our daily conversations to sound fluent in English. In the next post, let’s discuss some important key expressions.

 

Author:

Dr. K. Nandhakumar

Assistant Professor of English

Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science (Autonomous)

Coimbatore- 641 020

 

Reference:

Saumya Sharma. (2017). Common Errors in Everyday English