Common Mistakes : Above

Above – Adjective

DUBIOUS: Taking all the above into account, one could say that tourism does more harm than good

GOOD: Taking all the above arguments into account, one could say that tourism does more harm than good

Instead of using the above as a loose reference to something mentioned earlier, make the reference more precise by using the above + noun (or the + noun + above ): the above reasons’, ‘the statement above

Above – Preposition

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BAD: He likes reading, above all novels

GOOD: He likes reading, especially novels

Above all means ‘most importantly’: ‘Get plenty of sleep, eat lots of good food, and above all try to relax.’ There were many qualities that made him a great leader. Above all, he had charisma

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BAD: There were above a hundred people in the crowd

GOOD: There were over a hundred people in the crowd

Do not use above with numbers (unless referring to points on a scale): ‘He is over eighty years of age.’ ‘I receive over twenty letters a day.’ Compare – Don’t let the temperature get above thirty degrees

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BAD: This year English is above all my most important subject

GOOD: This year English is by far my most important subject

With a superlative form (‘the most important’), use by far : The riot was by far the most horrific scene I’d ever witnessed

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DUBIOUS: I like to stay at home on a Sunday, as I’ve said above

GOOD: I like to stay at home on a Sunday, as I’ve already said

? DUBIOUS: What do you think of the above suggestion

? GOOD: What do you think of my/this suggestion

Above is used in formal writing to refer to something that has been mentioned earlier: From the above arguments it can be seen that supporters of the dam project fall into two camps. In informal styles, this use of above is inappropriate

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BAD: Where would you like to go above all

GOOD: Where would you like to go most of all

When you mean ‘more than anywhere/anything/anyone else’, use most of all or the most : ‘What worries me most of all is that the car is not roadworthy.’ The one I liked the most was too expensive