ground

Common expressions

• lie on the ground
• be below ground
• be (10 metres) above off the ground
• fall to the ground
• (a building) is burned to the ground

Adjective + ground

• hard / soft ground
• uneven ground
• the ground is frozen

1.Common expressions

Complete the sentences with the correct preposition:

1. The old man suddenly collapsed and fell …… the ground.
2. We lay …… the ground and watched the clouds racing across the sky.
3. I had to cross the river using a rope bridge which was about 20 metres …… the ground.
4. The miners work about 250 metres …… ground.
5. Our school was burned …… the ground at the weekend. Police believe the fire was started deliberately.

2.Adjective ground

Match the halves:

1. The wheels of the car got stuck
2. The ground in the garden is too hard to dig.
3. I had to walk carefully

• a.It is frozen solid!
• b.over the uneven ground.
• C.in the soft ground.

Note

Note how we use ‘ground’ to describe specific places:

• Seating for spectators is now compulsory at football grounds in the UK.
• There’s a Roman burial ground near here, but I’m not sure if anyone famous is buried there.
• We found the old lady wandering around the grounds of the hospital.
• People are using the waste ground behind the old factory to dump old cars and furniture.