anything <under/below>
- Thread starter vinci61
- Start date
What is the context? Specifically, below or under what?
Sorry for not giving you the context. The writer was climbing a mountain with his parents.When they got to the top, the weather was so bad that they could not see anything.
I wonder if under and below are reversible in that sentence, or could I say under is also grammatically correct?
"Below" would be the normal way of putting it. "Under" seems to need something more; "I couldn't see anything under all the snow on the ground."
Someone else may know better, but I think "because that's how we say it" is the best answer you're going to get.
Yes, I also believe that "under" requires an object.
"below" also needs an object but we are able to assume one, i.e. "below us," "below our position." Everything we can see while looking outward or down is below us.
For "under," we can't figure out from context what is meant. What is under us is the snow, the ground, the mountain. The bad weather doesn't prevent use from seeing what's under any of those things. Thousands of tons of rock prevent us from seeing what's under the mountain.
For "under," we can't figure out from context what is meant. What is under us is the snow, the ground, the mountain. The bad weather doesn't prevent use from seeing what's under any of those things. Thousands of tons of rock prevent us from seeing what's under the mountain.