Englishfor English speakers
above
Preposition
—
(, after the noun &; ) If A is above B, A is higher than or before B, but not touching B.
In a newspaper, the title of a story is usually above the story.
Only children aged 5 and above may enter.
That office is on the floor above.
Our blessings come from above.
The passage above is easy to understand.
above
Adjective
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If something is above, it is higher than or coming before.
Please see the above discussion of the problem.
the
Determiner
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Used, instead of a, to reference something specific, already known to exist.
Compare "I read a book." and "I read the book."
—
Used with a stress, to show that the word following is special.
Are you the John Smith that I went to school with?
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Used with an adjective that acts like a noun to mean all of the people concerned
The poor are always with us.
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Used with superlatives forms of adjectives and adverbs.
You are the best.
ruin
Verb
—
To wreck something, to make it useless, to break something.
You've ruined my painting!
You've ruined my screwdriver!
You will ruin your pencil if you press that hard.
ruin
Noun
—
The standing parts of a broken building or construction.
Our only look at Mayan culture is the ruins.