Learn how to use the prepositions "under," "below," and "beneath"
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Deciding Where to Hang a Painting By Your Favorite American Artist. John Here. |
| Becky: Hey I'm Becky. |
| John: In this lesson, you’ll learn the prepositions “under”, “below” and “beneath”. The conversation takes place at home. |
| Becky: It's between Kate and Sean. |
| John: The speakers are friends, so they'll use informal English. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Sean: Kate, where do you think I should hang this painting? |
| Kate: Try below the other painting on the south wall. |
| Sean: Oh, looks good! Have you seen my hammer? |
| Kate: I think it's under the table. |
| Sean: Really? I can't see it. |
| Kate: Maybe it's beneath that cloth. |
| Sean: Found it! |
| John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Sean: Kate, where do you think I should hang this painting? |
| Kate: Try below the other painting on the south wall. |
| Sean: Oh, looks good! Have you seen my hammer? |
| Kate: I think it's under the table. |
| Sean: Really? I can't see it. |
| Kate: Maybe it's beneath that cloth. |
| Sean: Found it! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| John: Sounds like Sean has a new painting. I wonder if he painted it himself? |
| Becky: He might have! He might have bought it though. The right painting can really brighten up a room. |
| John: That’s true. I think that in general, Americans are very proud of their homes and want them to look the best they can. |
| Becky: I think so too. It helps that, compared to a lot of other countries, house prices aren’t as high in the States, so people can buy really nice properties. |
| John: Many people buy houses and then fix them up themselves. |
| Becky: Oh, DIY! Home improvements! Fixer-uppers! That’s always a disaster. |
| John: A disaster? I’ve always been able to do small jobs myself without any problems. |
| Becky: In my experience, if you need a job done, call in the professionals. |
| John: Please tell me that you at least do yard work yourself. |
| Becky: I do that myself. I find it relaxing! |
| John: Do you decorate your house for Halloween and Christmas? |
| Becky: Oh, I go all out! Lights, statues… |
| John: Me too. Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| Becky: to think [natural native speed] |
| John: to consider |
| Becky: to think[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: to think [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: painting [natural native speed] |
| John: artwork made with paint |
| Becky: painting[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: painting [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: other [natural native speed] |
| John: not this one, but a different one |
| Becky: other[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: other [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: south [natural native speed] |
| John: direction opposite of north |
| Becky: south[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: south [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: wall [natural native speed] |
| John: a vertical structure that either divides a room, or separates a room from the outside |
| Becky: wall[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: wall [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: to look [natural native speed] |
| John: to appear, to seem |
| Becky: to look[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: to look [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: hammer [natural native speed] |
| John: a tool used for jobs such as hitting nails and breaking things |
| Becky: hammer[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: hammer [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: table [natural native speed] |
| John: a piece of furniture with a flat, level surface and legs, upon which objects can be placed |
| Becky: table[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: table [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Becky: maybe [natural native speed] |
| John: possibly, but not certainly, perhaps |
| Becky: maybe [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: maybe [natural native speed] |
| John: And last.. |
| Becky: cloth [natural native speed] |
| John: fabric that is made from cotton, wool, or other materials |
| Becky: cloth[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Becky: cloth [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Becky: to think |
| John: meaning "to consider". What can you tell us about this? |
| Becky: We use this verb to talk about our ideas. |
| John: The conjugations are irregular, as the past tense and the past participle are both “thought.” |
| Becky: This is a handy word. We can use it to clearly show our own ideas. |
| John: You can start sentences with “I think…” or “I think that…” and people will know it is your own idea and feelings. |
| Becky: If you put it at the end of a sentence after giving advice or an opinion, it softens what you've said. |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “I think it will rain later.” |
| John: ..which means "I feel that it will rain later." Okay, what's the next word? |
| Becky: other |
| John: meaning "not this one, but a different one" |
| John: What can you tell us about this? |
| Becky: You can use this when an object has been identified, but you want to talk about a different one. |
| John: So, if you’re in a shop and the clerk has two items - they show you the first item but you want to see the second item, you can say “show me the other one.” |
| Becky: Yes, “other” means the different item. |
| John: What if the second item isn’t already there? |
| Becky: If you’re shown the first item, and want to see something else, anything else, you can use “another.” |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “the other way is quicker.” |
| John: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Becky: maybe |
| John: meaning "possibly, but not certainly, perhaps." |
| John: What can you tell us about this? |
| Becky: This is an adverb. You use it when you aren’t 100% sure of something. |
| John: You usually use it at the start or end of a sentence or clause. |
| Becky: It can also be a one-word answer. |
| John: If someone asks you a question and you don’t want to say “yes” or “no,” you can say “maybe.” |
| Becky: If you’re not certain, say “maybe!” |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Becky: Sure. For example, you can say, “Maybe I will change jobs soon.” |
| John: .. which means "I might change jobs soon" |
| John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| John: In this lesson, you'll learn about the prepositions “under”, “below” and “beneath”. |
| John: You can use these prepositions for place and position. I think that they are very easily confused. |
| Becky: Definitely. Their meanings are very similar, but they are different enough to be distinct. |
| John: Let’s start with the first in our little list - “under.” |
| Becky: You use this to say something is lower than, directly below, or covered by something. |
| John: It’s very commonly used for things like “under the table.” |
| Becky: Right. It’s below the table and the table is covering it. It’s also used when being covered by things that touch. |
| John: Can you give us an example of that? |
| Becky: Sure. “He is wearing a shirt under his sweater.” It’s often used with clothes. |
| John: There are lots of idioms using “under” too, such as “under the weather.” This means that you’re feeling sick. Check out the Lesson Notes for more idioms using “under”. |
| Becky: What preposition is next on our list? |
| John: Ah, next is “below.” |
| Becky: This is used for things that are lower than, or not directly under something, |
| John: Let’s hear an example. |
| Becky: “We’re painting the room and I want white walls, but with blue below this border.” |
| John: It can also be used to talk about lower temperatures or height, right? |
| Becky: That’s right. Like “The temperature is never below zero.” |
| John: Our last preposition for this lesson is “beneath.” |
| Becky: This is more formal than “under” and “below”, and can be used in place of either, really. |
| John: Can you give us some examples using “beneath?” |
| Becky: “The cat lies beneath the window.” Although, we’d usually say “the cat lies under the window.” |
| John: Hmm, it sounds too formal for a simple sentence like that. |
| Becky: Right, it’s grammatically correct, but too formal. We often use it for style, such as “There is a world of mystery beneath the covers of this book.” |
| John: That sounds better than saying “under the covers of this book.” |
| Becky: I agree. But, be careful. You can substitute “beneath” for “under” and “below,” but not when talking about temperatures. |
| John: Thanks for the tip! |
Outro |
| John: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Becky: Bye! |
Comments
Hide