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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

What is the difference between these sentences?

"The car keys are on the table"
"The car keys are over the table"
  

Top answer

Anonymous What is the difference between these sentences? The second keys are above the first keys.

— Mister Micawber

  • Anonymous What is the difference between these sentences?
  • The second keys are above the first keys.
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6 Answers
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Anonymous What is the difference between these sentences?
The second keys are above the first keys.
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If the keys are over/above the table, they are somewhere higher than the table.
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AnonymousThe car keys are on the table.
They are touching the surface of the table.
AnonymousThe car keys are over the table.
This suggests that they are above the table, maybe on a shelf above the table.

There is a lamp
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And the difference between "over" and "on" is highly contextual. Yes, the keys that are over the table are not touching it--perhaps they are dangling from a hook. But a car driving over the road is not hovering in midair. If we cross over the river it's possible that we are wading through it, or using a bridge, or flying. But in terms of storage and containment (think table, shelf, desk, etc)
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ashleylmBut a car driving over the road is not hovering in midair.
That is because 'over' is now a preposition of movement not position (which is its rightful function, in my estimation—whatever happened to 'above'?)
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