VOA慢速英语2019--Over and Above

 

Hi, everyone!

I hope you like prepositions¹ because I am going to talk about them again today.

The question today comes from our reader Francesca in Rome, Italy. Here it is:

Question:

Hello, thank you VOA. I have a problem using over and above. You will certainly help me. - Francesca, Rome

Answer:

Ciao, Francesca. I am happy to help!

The words over and above can act as prepositions or adverbs, depending on how they are used.

For today’s program, I will focus on prepositions. Prepositions are words that show direction, position or time.

Over and above both express that something is in a higher position than something else. And, sometimes, you can use either word.

You can, for instance², say:

The building is over a parking lot (or)

The building is above a parking lot.

They have the same meaning.

But there are times when one word is more suitable than the other.

Motion³, movement

For example, the word over suggests movement. Above does not.

When the upper object moves across the lower object, use over, as in these examples:

A plane just flew over city hall.

We walked over the bridge.

Covering, contact

In addition, over suggests contact between two objects. Above does not.

Use over when the higher object covers or is touching⁴ the lower object, as in these:

Did you wear a raincoat over your clothes?

Please put foil⁵ over the remaining food.

Above is more common when there is no contact between the two objects, as in this:

Many bird species⁶ fly above the clouds.

Numbers and measures

We also use over and above with measurements⁷.

Use over for such measures as height, age, speed and time, as in these:

We have been waiting over an hour for a table.

The game is for children over 10 years of age.

Above is generally used in measures of temperature, as in this:

It went above 90 degrees again yesterday.

And that’s Ask a Teacher.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

certainly – adv. without doubt

adverb – n. a word that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree

focus – v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

verb – n. a word that expresses an action, occurrence⁸ or state of being

blanket – n. a covering made of cloth that is used to keep you warm?

fox – n. a small wild animal that is related to dogs

1 prepositions   

n.介词( preposition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She lays a lot of emphasis on the usage of prepositions. 她把重点放在介词的使用上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Prepositions and conjunctions are particles. 介词和连词是小品词。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 instance   

n.例，例证，实例

参考例句：

• Can you quote me a recent instance?你能给我举一个最近的例子吗？
• He's a greedy boy,yesterday,for instance,he ate all our biscuits!他是个贪吃的孩子――比如，他昨天把我们的饼干都吃了！

3 motion   

n.打手势，示意，移动，动作，提议，大便；v.运动，向...打手势，示意

参考例句：

• She could feel the rolling motion of the ship under her feet.她能感觉到脚下船在晃动。
• Don't open the door while the train is in motion.列车运行时，请勿打开车门。

4 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

5 foil   

n.箔，金属薄片，陪衬；vt.挫败，使受挫折

参考例句：

• Milk bottle tops are made of tin foil.牛奶瓶盖是用锡箔做的。
• An ugly woman serves as a foil to a pretty girl.一个丑女人可以将美丽的姑娘反衬得更加漂亮。

6 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

7 measurements   

n.量度( measurement的名词复数 )；测量；衡量；（量得的）尺寸

参考例句：

• The second group of measurements had a high correlation with the first. 第二组测量数据与第一组高度相关。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In the metric system, measurements are made in metres and liters. 在公制中，用米和升作计量单位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 occurrence   

n.发生，出现，事件，发生的事件

参考例句：

• Two things account for its occurrence.发生这件事的原因有两个。
• For a military commander，winning or losing a battle is a common occurrence.胜败乃兵家常事。