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What's The Difference Between "Under", "Below", "Beneath", and "Underneath"?
What's The Difference Between "Under", "Below", "Beneath", and "Underneath"?
What's The Difference Between "Under", "Below", "Beneath", and "Underneath"?
So if you're struggling to choose the correct word, "under" is probably the safest
choice.
Under
"Under" is the default choice. In most situations, you can replace any of the
other words with "under".
under stress
under pressure
under consideration
under construction
© Inés Blasco
under a spell
Below
Compared to "under", you use "below" more often to talk about the level of
something on a flat plane. For example, if you're describing two photos that
hang on a wall, you can say that one of them is "below" the other.
In writing, you can use "below" to talk about something later on:
Beneath
In the unlikely event of an emergency water landing, you may find a flotation device
beneath your seat cushion.
When you're talking about someone's actions or decisions, you use "beneath"
to talk about the true emotions that a person is hiding:
She acts like some kind of princess, like we're all beneath her.
Underneath
"Underneath" has a kind of casual and expressive feeling. You can choose
"underneath" instead of "under" to explain the location of something with a little
more emphasis.
© Inés Blasco
B: It was underneath the sofa.
© Inés Blasco