Above and over can be used as adverbs or prepositions.
Both of them express ‘higher than’, but there are some differences:
- as preposition, we use above when something is at a higher position, but it doesn’t touch a person or an object, there is no contact between them.
Example: I see a plane above the city.
- as preposition, over has a similar meaning, but expresses that a higher object covers or even touches a lower object, so there is a contact between them.
Example: It is raining outside, hold the umbrella over your head! – (it covers)
- As adverbs, above indicates only location and not movement, while over indicates both location and movement.
Examples: I am fascinated by the sky and the stars above.
They climbed over the mountain.
- We use above or over when we talk about temperature:
Example: The temperature is above 35 degrees in summer. (or … over 35 degrees.)
Attention: When the temperature is zero or (the) average, we use above NOT over:
Example: It was five degrees above zero.
Not: It was five degrees over zero.
- Both mean „more than something”:
Example: This cartoon is for kids above/over 14 years old.
- With numbers we usually use over NOT above:
Example: I have got over thirty calls from that company.
NOT: I have got above thirty calls from that company.
- Above also means higher in rank or position:
Example: Speak to the officer above, please!
NOT: Speak to the officer over, please!
- We use above to refer to something mentioned earlier:
Example: The image above showed us all about this project.
NOT: The image over showed us all about this project.
- We use over (and not above) to cover something:
Example: Put that scarf over your neck, it is very cold outside.
NOT: Put that scarf above your neck, it is very cold outside.
- We use over when we talk about something placed on the other side:
Example: The car over there is mine.
- We use over for periods of time or during something:
Examples: I’ll discuss with our son over dinner.
When I was a kid, I was playing video games for over three hours a day.
NOT: above dinner, above three hours.
- We use over when something ended
Example: My exams are over now.
Remember:
- We don’t use over with the meaning of a ‘higher level’.
Example:
- Correct: 200 metres above sea level
- Wrong: 200 metres over sea level
- We don’t use above when one thing covers another, we use over.
- Correct: over the neck
- Wrong: above the neck
- We don’t use above with numbers:
- Correct: over 150 people
- Wrong: above 150 people
- Above indicates location, while over indicates both location and movement.
- Correct: above the city
- Wrong: over the city
- Correct: a bird flew over the lake
- Wrong: a bird flew above the lake