PREPOSITIONS in English: under, below, beneath, underneath

Published 2018-09-17

There are many prepositions in English that seem to have the same meaning. But there are sometimes very important differences. For instance, have you noticed that the preposition "underneath" contains the prefix "under"? So do the two words mean the same thing? No! There are differences in the way we use these prepositions. In today's class, we'll look at the differences and uses of the prepositions "under", "below", "beneath", and "underneath". By the end of the video, you will know when and how to use them when referring to the location of things.

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TRANSCRIPT

Hi, everybody. Welcome back to www.engvid.com. I'm Adam. Today's video is about the prepositions: "under", "below", "beneath", and "underneath". Now, I know that some people have a problem distinguishing or knowing which one to use in what context, so we're going to look at all of them and see which situations call for which prepositions, and which situations you can mix them up. Because in many cases you can use "under" or "beneath", for example, or: "under" or "below". So, some situations you can mix them; other situations you can't.

So let's start with "under". When do I use "under"? When we talk about a lower level or a lower layer, in terms of space, like... So, "spatial" is the adjective of "space", so when we're comparing space, one is lower than the other. Okay? But, so... "The ball rolled under the car." Generally, when we have some sort of movement, we're going to use probably "under", although we can sometimes say: "The ball rolled beneath the car." We're going to look at the difference between "under" and "beneath" after. So, in this case, you can use: "under", you can use other ones.

But in a situation... Now, when I say: "situation" or "condition", it's usually about people. Okay? When somebody is feeling a particular thing or is in a particular condition or state of mind, we're going to use "under". So: "He's under a lot of pressure", means it's the weight of the condition is making him down or is heavy on top of him. Okay? So: "He's under a lot of pressure."

Numbers. When we talk about age or quantity, we're going to use: "under", not the other prepositions. "This bar is popular among the under-40 crowd." Basically, "under" means less than or fewer than-right?-when we're talking about numbers. In terms of quantity: "Under 20 people actually showed up to the party", means less than; fewer than 20 people showed up.

We can also use "under" as a prefix, means we can add it to under... Other words. Sorry. We can use it to under... Other words... Not "underwear"; I have underwear on my mind. Other words, and basically mean make them less; weakened, or less than, or other situations. So: "underweight". If someone is underweight, they are less than the healthy weight. Right? So this is the... What you should be, and if you're underweight, you're pretty thin. Right? You should eat more. If you "underestimate"... So, you notice I can use it with a noun or with a verb, or adjective. I'll give you other examples after. If you underestimate something or someone, means you don't give them enough credit; you don't appreciate them or it at the place where it should be. So, again, not enough. "Under" can also mean not enough.

Now, let's look at "below". So we looked about lower level, etc. When we use "below", we're still talking about relation of two things; one is lower than the other, but it's important to remember that usually it's on the same plane. Now, "on the same plane" means the same spot in space. So if something is here and something is here, we don't say: "This is below that." We can say: "It's under this", in terms of the rankings-okay?-but we don't say it's below. So, the word "below" is written below the word "under", because why? We're on the same plane; we're looking at the whiteboard. It's the same space and I have the same line, so this is below that. Okay? It's not under it; it's below it, in terms of the plane.

We also can use "below" when we look at a reference point; in relation to a reference point. Now, what do I mean by "reference point"? Here's the point where things get compared to. For example, average. "Average" is a reference point; it is not the highest, it is not the lowest. It is a combination of all the things on the spectrum or whatever, whatever you're comparing, and we take the average spot which is technically between highest and lowest. […]

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