“Below" or "Bottom"? When to write together and when to write separately? A lot of people get confused, but it's easy to know when to use each one: “below” is an adverb and “below” is a preposition along with an adjective. Let's better understand the difference?
See too: Is there a view or is there a visa?
When to use “underneath”?
The word "below", written all together, is aadverb of place, beinguseda to indicate the bottom of some place or that something is located at the bottom in reference to another position. Let's see some examples:
I left a note down from your wallet.
my drawing is down yours.
my toy fell there down.
The word below is accompanied by the preposition “of” when it has a reference to something, as we can see in the examples above. Also, it can be replaced by other constructions, such as "on the bottom". The opposite of "below" is "above". Look:
my drawing is down yours.
your drawing is on of mine.
Now that you know how to identify when “below” is written together, let's understand what happens when “below” is written separately.
Read too:In order or in order?
When to use “down”?
The expression "below", written with two separate words, is composed by preposition "in" and by the adjective "low". What happens is that the word "down" refers to a term that comes after it, usually a noun. See some examples:
He doesn't like to take risks, he makes bets in lowrisk.
It's better for the seller to go on vacation in low time course of sales.
Please be silent or keep your voice in lowtone.
In this case, the preposition “from” is not needed after the term “below”. Also, as the word “down” is adjective, Is it over there may vary in gender (male or female) and in number (singular or plural), depending on the noun it modifies. So, to make sure it's an adjective, you can try using the word “down” in the feminine or plural with another noun:
He doesn't like to take risks, he makes bets in lowrisk.
He doesn't like to take risks, he makes bets in casualtiesexpectations.
You can also try to see if the word “down” can appear after the noun:
It's better for the seller to go on vacation in low time course of sales.
It's better for the seller to go on vacation intime course low of sales.
If the opposite of the utterance is made with “top” (instead of “above”), it is also indicative that it is written separately:
Please be silent or keep your voice in lowtone.
Please make noise or keep your voice in hightone.
solved exercises
Question 1 - Which alternative completes the gaps below following the standard norm of the Portuguese language?
- Don't lose sight of that bird that flies ______ close to us.
- Can you see those people downstairs? They are there ______.
- Please bring my bag from the bookcase that is ______ on the shelf.
a) below – below – below
b) below – below – below
c) below – below – below
d) below – below – below
Resolution
Alternative D, because the first occurrence is composed by the preposition together with the adjective “low”, which characterizes the “flight” of the bird. The second and third occurrences are adverbs of place, therefore “underneath”.
