Proper use of the word below

[Note: This post was updated on Oct. 17, 2020.]

Q: Lately I’ve noticed that people are placing the word “below” in front of a noun or at the head of a sentence. Examples: “Click on the below link” instead of “Click on the link below” and “Below are the fixes” instead of “The fixes are below.” Is this at all proper?

A: Most authorities will tell you that “below” is not properly used as an adjective. So your first example (“the below link”) is not a universally accepted use. But the second (“Below are …”) is fine. Let’s look at them one at a time.

Nearly all standard dictionaries say that “below” functions exclusively as either an adverb (“they bought the apartment below”) or a preposition (“they bought the apartment below ours”). What’s the difference? They classify the word as an adverb if it doesn’t have an object, and as a preposition if it does.

In the sentence “Click on the below link,” the word “below” is an adjective modifying the noun “link.” While “above” is commonly used this way, “below” and “beneath” are not.

The usual order is “Click on the link below,” an arrangement in which “below” is traditionally classified as an adverb.

[Note: As we write in a later post, academic linguists have broken with tradition here. They consider “below” a preposition, whether it has an object (as in “click on the link below the picture”) or not (“click on the link below”). It’s a transitive preposition if it has an object, and intransitive if not. Dictionaries have not yet adopted this view.]

However, we can’t say the adjectival use is wrong. At least one publisher of standard dictionaries accepts it without comment.

Merriam-Webster classifies “below” as an adjective when it premodifies a noun and means “written or discussed lower on the same page or on a following page.” The example given is “the below list.” The more extensive Merriam-Webster Unabridged has a nearly identical definition and example. 

The adjectival usage is also found in the Oxford English Dictionary, an etymological dictionary based on historical evidence. And it’s similarly defined.

The OED’s earliest example is from an 1822 issue of the Philosophical Magazine: “According to the below observations, the thermometer falls one degree for every ascent of 224 feet.” (Oxford adds, however, that this use of “below” is rare in comparison with the similar use of “above.”)

However, aside from M-W, the standard dictionaries we usually consult do not recognize the use of “below” as an adjective. 

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, for example, has no such adjectival usage. It says “below” is an adverb when used, among other things, to indicate “farther down” or “in a later part of a given text: figures quoted below.”

The OED would agree with that classification of “below” as an adverb in the sense of “lower on a written sheet or page; hence, later in a book or writing; at the foot of the page.” Two OED citations for this usage are “Read what’s below” (1784) and “The forms subjoined in the note below” (1863).

The OED says that in cases like these (and this would also apply to the American Heritage example, “figures quoted below”), the adverb has no expressed object. In other words, the sentence doesn’t explicitly say below what.

As we mentioned above, when an object is present, “below” is traditionally classified as a preposition: “figures quoted below the dotted line” … “below zero” … “below par” … “below average,” and so on.

When “below” is used as an adverb, the word it modifies (whether adjective or verb) isn’t always implied.

All 10 standard dictionaries, as well as the OED, would classify “below” as an adverb in examples like “offices on the floor below” … “in the valley below” … “a grade below”… “a temperature of 40 below,” and so on.

We realize that in examples like those, “below” does not look like an adverb. In understanding the dictionaries’ rationale, it sometimes helps to imagine an unstated word like “located” or “positioned” in there somewhere: “the offices on the floor [located] below.”

Now let’s turn to your second example, “Below are the fixes.”

Here again, “below” would traditionally be classified as an adverb. The sentence is parallel to “The fixes are below.” (While we think “are below” at the end of the sentence is more graceful than “Below are” up front, the two versions are grammatically equivalent.)

One last point: the word “below” wasn’t either an adverb or a preposition when it first showed up in English in the 14th century. It was a verb meaning to make low or to humble.

William Langland used the verb in 1377 in Piers Plowman, his Middle English allegorical poem, but the OED says this usage is now obsolete or rare.

In case you’re wondering, the adverb first showed up around 1400 and the preposition around 1565, according to OED citations.  

Check out our books about the English language

ниже, внизу, в дальнейшем, ниже, под

наречие ↓

предлог ↓

В выражениях, идиомах и прочем

below / under one’s breath — тихо, шёпотом  
to hit / strike / tackle below the belt — спорт. нанести удар ниже пояса / применить запрещённый приём  
to sell below cost — продавать ниже себестоимости  
to be below standard — не соответствовать стандарту  
to feel below par — чувствовать себя плохо  
high life below stairs — имитация слугами «красивой жизни» хозяев  

Примеры с переводом

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

Below meaning ‘lower than’

We use below most commonly as a preposition meaning ‘lower than’. It has a similar meaning to under. The opposite of below is above. We use it when there is no contact between people or things:

[a teacher talking to a class]

Open your exercise book on page 27. Just below the picture there are some questions. Look at the picture and answer the questions.

There was a big clock below the painting.

When the adverb below is used to modify a noun, it follows the noun:

The apartment below is owned by a French couple.

We lived up in the mountains and the nearest town below was half an hour’s drive.

We use the adverb below when referring to the lower level or deck of a boat or ship:

[talking about a boat]

It was a wonderful little boat. We spent most of our time fishing and watching the sea. We’d go below to sleep and to eat.

Below referring forward in writing

In formal writing, we use below to refer to something that we will mention or show later:

In the figure below, the results show that 54% of the rats tested were carrying the antibody …

There has been much discussion and debate about global warming (see below).

Below: typical error

• We don’t use below when one thing touches or covers or hides something else; we usually use under instead:

Under a white coat, she wore an amazing red dress.

Not: Below a white coat …

Страница 55 из 82

Ответы к странице 57

1A. Use the words below to complete the exchanges. — Используйте слова, данные ниже, чтобы закончить реплики диалогов.

• single • parcel • form • overdue • account • return • scales • class

Ответ:

1. A: I’d like to open an account, please. — Я хотел бы открыть счет.
B: Certainly. Could you please fill out this form? — Конечно. Не могли бы вы заполнить эту форму?
2. A: I’d like to send this parcel to Rome, please. — Я хотела бы послать эту посылку в Рим.
B: OK. Please can you put it on the scales? — Хорошо. Пожалуйста, не могли бы вы положить ее на весы?
3. A: One first class ticket to Liverpool, please. — Один билет первого класса до Ливерпуля, пожалуйста.
B: Single or return? — В одну сторону или туда и обратно?
4. A: I’d like to return these books. — Я хотел бы вернуть эти книги.
B: Unfortunately, they are four days overdue. That’s £2 please. — К сожалению, у вас четыре дня просрочки. С вас 2 фунта.

1B. Decide in which of the places (A-D) each exchange is taking place. — Определите, в каких местах (А-D) происходят эти диалоги.

Ответ:

1. С) Bank — Банк
2. A) Post Office — Почта
3. D) Airport — Аэропорт
4. В) Library — Библиотека

2. Use the following idioms in their correct forms to complete the sentences, as in the example. — Используйте следующие идиому в корректной форме, чтобы закончить предложения, как показано в примере.

• do it oneself • make oneself clear • help oneself • by oneself • make oneself heard

Ответ:

1. There’s plenty of food in the fridge. Help yourself to whatever you want. — В холодильнике много еды. Угощайся всем, чем хочешь.
2. Class, please quieten down! I shouldn’t have to shout to make myself heard. — Класс, пожалуйста, угомонитесь! Я вовсе не обязана кричать, чтобы вы меня услышали.
3. I think Ben will need help fixing the car. I am not sure he can do it himself. — Думаю, Бену понадобится помощь в ремонте машины. Я не уверен, что он сможет это сделать сам.
4. Let me try to explain this again. I didn’t make myself clear. — Позвольте мне попытаться объяснить это еще раз. Я не ясно выразился.
5. Sam’s not going on holiday with anyone. He’s going by himself. — Сэм ни с кем не поедет в отпуск. Он едет один.

3. Find ten character qualities in the grid below. — Найдите десять качеств характера в таблице.

Ответ:

1. Efficient — эффективный
2. Caring — заботливый
3. Skilful — умелый
4. Intelligent — умный, образованный
5. Hardworking — трудолюбивый
6. Responsible — ответственный
7. Likeable — приятный в общении
8. Honest — честный
9. Patient — терпеливый
10. Practical — практичный

4. Choose the correct answer. — Выберите правильный ответ.

Ответ:

1. Katie told her friends to make themselves at home. — Кейти сказала своим друзьям, чтобы они чувствовали себя как дома.
A) ourselves
В) themselves
С) herself
2. He doesn’t look himself today. Is he alright? — Сегодня он сам на себя не похож. У него все в порядке?
A) yourself
В) his self
С) himself
3. The house itself was nice, but the area was horrible. — Сам дом был хорошим, но окружающая его местность — ужасная.
A) the self
В) himself
С) itself
4. Alex, did you choose my present yourself? — Алекс, ты сам выбирал подарок для меня?
A) yourself
В) itself
С) myself
5. She did it all by herself. — Она все сделала сама.
A) yourself
В) itself
С) herself
6. Girls, if you want some more food, help yourselves. — Девочки, если вы хотите еще еды, угощайтесь.
A) themselves
В) yourselves
С) ourselves

5. Complete the text with the correct form of the words in bold. — Закончите текст, вставив правильную форму слов, выделенных жирным шрифтом.

Ответ:

A very serious 1) environmental (ENVIRONMENT) crisis has just hit the area. Everyone is completely 2) exhausted (EXHAUST) but scientists say that the 3) recovery (RECOVER) work will take many more weeks. A team of 4) professionals (PROFESSION) are working around the clock to ensure that the clean up job is done 5) properly (PROPER) and that as many animals as possible are saved and cared for. 6) Fortunately (FORTUNE) only a few animals have actually died, so we can say that our rescue efforts have been 7) worthwhile (WORTH).

В этом районе только что разразился очень серьезный экологический кризис. Все полностью истощены, но ученые говорят, что восстановление займет много недель. Команда профессионалов работает круглые сутки, чтобы убедиться, что работа по очистке выполнена должным образом что как можно больше животных спасены и обеспечены заботой. К счастью, на самом деле погибло всего несколько животных, поэтому мы можем сказать, что наши усилия по спасению стоили того. 

Learning foreign languages is especially important nowadays. Some people learn languages because they need them in their work, others travel tourists, for the third, studying languages is a hobby. Every year thousands of people from Russia go to different countries as learn or to work. A modern engineer or even a worker cannot work successfully with an imported machine or a computer if he doesn’t know English. Diplomats, historians and scientists need know languages in their work, too. If you want to be a stewardess, a pilot or an air traffic control officer, you must learn English, the language of international communication. And how can a shop assistant or a cashier in a big department abroad understand a foreigner if she doesn’t know a foreign language? So a modern and cultural person must know foreign languages. There are store who know more that one foreign language. We call them polyglots.  

My friend’s mother is a teach¬er of foreign languages. She knows English, French, German, Spanish and, of course, Russian. Is she a polyglot?