[Grammar] Preposition ‘beneath’ usage

[northpath]

Is it possible in a casual talk to replace the preposition ‘beneath’ with the preposition ‘under’. For instance, instead of:
Barbara shivered beneath the sheets.
The dolphins disappeared beneath the waves.
I felt the warm sand beneath my feet.
The ground was shaking beneath their feet.
The ball was stuck beneath the piano.
say:
Barbara shivered under the sheets.
The dolphins disappeared under the waves.
I felt the warm sand under my feet.
The ground was shaking under their feet.
The ball was stuck under the piano.

 

[emsr2d2]

It's possible to use "under" in all those sentences. In fact, I'd say "under" is more common in colloquial/casual speech than "beneath". There are certain phrases in which "beneath" is the only possible choice but they are few and far between.

 

[northpath]

Are these two sentences the ones in which “beneath” is the only possible choice?
Bridget sensed a soft heart beneath Tom's stern exterior.
Some roofs collapsed beneath the weight of so much snow.
If not, please put up a couple of phrases in which “beneath” is really the only choice.

 

[emsr2d2]

I would say that "beneath" is probably more natural in the first. In the second, both "beneath" and "under" work.

An example of "beneath" being the correct word is "Sweeping the floors is beneath me". It means that the person thinks that they are too important to do something as menial as sweeping the floors.

 

[Rover_KE]

'That remark was beneath contempt.'

 

[emsr2d2]

In both of our examples, "beneath" indicates a lower level of status or importance, not a geographical location. If you're talking about the physical position of something, "under" and "beneath" are generally interchangeable.