Ground

Common expressions

• lie on the ground

• be below ground

• be (10 meters) 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

Exercises

1. Common expressions

1. The old suddenly collapsed and fell to the ground.

2. We lay on 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 meters above / off the ground.

4. The miners work about 250 meters below ground.

5. Our school was burned to the ground at the weekend. Police believe the fire was started deliberately.

2. Adjective + ground

1. The wheels of the car got stuck in the soft ground. (c)

2. The ground in the garden is too hard to dig. It is frozen solid! (a)

3. I had to walk carefully over the uneven ground. (b)

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.