Higher up and lower down
Above, below and beside are position words. Each one says where a thing is compared with another thing. The circle is above the square when it sits higher up, over the top of the square.
Move the circle underneath the square and it is below the square. Below means lower down. The two words go together: when the circle is above the square, the square is below the circle. Both sentences describe the same picture.
The circle is above the square, so the square is below the circle.
Above what? Below what?
A shape is never just above. It is above something. Put a triangle on top of the circle, and the circle is below the triangle and above the square at the same time. The circle has not moved. The word changes with the shape you compare it to.
The gold circle is below the triangle and above the square.
Beside
Beside means next to, at the same height, off to one side. Set the circle alongside the square and the circle is beside the square. The square is beside the circle too.
Beside does not say which side. When that matters, say left or right: here the circle is beside the square, on its right.
The circle and the square are at the same height, side by side: the circle is beside the square.
In front and behind
On a flat picture, the thing in front hides part of the thing behind it. Slide the circle over the square. The circle now covers part of the square, so the circle is in front of the square, and the square is behind the circle.
If the square covered part of the circle instead, the square would be in front and the circle behind. Look at which shape is doing the hiding.
The circle hides part of the square. The circle is in front, and the square is behind it.
above the square
Put the circle below the square
The square stays where it is. Wherever the circle goes, the words under the picture say where it is compared with the square: above, below, beside on the left or the right, or in front. Off in a corner, none of those words fits.
Worked example: A Cupboard with Two Shelves Read with Above, Below and Beside
Question A cupboard has a top shelf and a bottom shelf. There are 5 things in it. The ball is on the top shelf. The ball is above the box. The cup is beside the ball. The book is beside the box, and the bear is beside the book. (a) Which thing is below the ball? (b) How many things are on the top shelf?
1.Draw the 2 shelves. Put the ball on the top shelf.
Draw the 2 shelves. Put the ball on the top shelf. 2.The ball is above the box. So put the box on the bottom shelf, under the ball.
The ball is above the box. So the box goes on the bottom shelf, under the ball. 3.(a) The ball is above the box, so the box is below the ball.
(a) The ball is above the box, so the box is below the ball. 4.Beside means next to, on the same shelf. Put the cup beside the ball. Put the book beside the box and the bear beside the book.
Beside means next to, on the same shelf. The cup is beside the ball. The book is beside the box, and the bear is beside the book. 5.(b) Count the things on the top shelf: the ball and the cup. There are 2 things on the top shelf.
(b) The ball and the cup are on the top shelf. There are 2 things on the top shelf.
Answer: (a) the box; (b) 2 things
Common mistakes
- Saying that the cup is below the ball. The cup is beside the ball, so it is on the same shelf as the ball.
- Counting the box on the top shelf. The ball is above the box, so the box is on the shelf under the ball.
More shapes and where they sit problems, worked step by step →
Worked example: A Tower of Blocks Described from the Bottom Up
Question Sam builds a tower of 5 blocks. From the bottom up, the blocks are blue, red, green, yellow and pink. (a) Which block is between the red block and the yellow block? (b) How many blocks are above the red block?
1.Draw the tower from the bottom up: blue, then red, then green, then yellow. Pink is on the top.
Draw the tower from the bottom up: blue, red, green, yellow. Pink is on the top. 2.Find the red block and the yellow block. There is one block between them.
Find the red block and the yellow block. There is one block between them. 3.(a) The green block is between the red block and the yellow block.
(a) The green block is between the red block and the yellow block. 4.(b) Count the blocks above the red block: green, yellow, pink. There are 3 blocks above the red block.
(b) Count the blocks above the red block: green, yellow, pink. There are 3 blocks above the red block.
Answer: (a) the green block; (b) 3 blocks
Common mistakes
- Reading the tower from the top down. The list starts at the bottom, so blue is the bottom block and pink is the top block.
- Counting the red block itself in part (b). Only the blocks that are higher than the red block are above it.
More shapes and where they sit problems, worked step by step →