Foundations and Ground

Ground provides the surface on which a person stands and across which movement takes place. A foundation supports a structure and transfers its load to the earth beneath it. The visible surface and the material providing support below it are not always the same thing.

Everyday language draws on these physical relationships when describing support, evidence, stability and position. Someone may have grounds for a belief, establish a foundation for further work or feel that the ground has shifted beneath them.

Physical Characteristics

• Firm ground: Provides relatively stable support under the load placed upon it.
• Loose ground: Contains material that can move underfoot, such as gravel or sand.
• Sloping ground: Changes height along a route, affecting balance and effort.
• Waterlogged ground: Contains substantial water, which can alter its behaviour under load.
• Uneven ground: Offers changes in level that require adjustments in footing.
• Foundations: Transfer a structure's load into supporting material. Their suitability depends on the structure and the conditions beneath it.

Support is a relationship between a load and what carries it. A surface that supports one activity may behave differently when the load, movement or conditions change.

Ground Movement

Ground can change through processes occurring below the visible surface. The US Geological Survey describes how groundwater withdrawal can reduce water pressure in aquifer systems and allow susceptible sediments to compact. This compaction can lower the land surface. US Geological Survey: Aquifer Compaction

This physical example distinguishes the appearance of a surface from the condition of the material beneath it. It also shows that a change in level can arise from a change in support.

In Religion

Matthew 7:24-27 presents two builders, one building on rock and the other on sand. Both houses encounter rain, floods and wind, but the outcomes differ. Within the passage, the comparison concerns hearing and acting upon Jesus's teaching. Matthew 7:13-27

The image links what is built above ground with the basis on which it stands. Its religious setting gives the comparison a particular meaning, rather than supplying a universal interpretation of every image of rock or sand.

The conclusion of the first builder's trial attributes endurance to the foundation:

and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

Matthew 7:25, King James Version; excerpt from Jesus's teaching about the two builders.

Both houses face rain, floods and wind. Within the passage, the difference in foundations represents hearing and acting on the teaching, as opposed to hearing alone. Stability is shown under a shared pressure; the rock does not remove the storm.

Idioms

• Stand your ground: Maintain a position when challenged.
• Lose ground: Become less successful, influential or advanced relative to an earlier position or another party.
• Gain ground: Make progress or become more widely accepted.
• Find common ground: Identify shared interests, views or assumptions.
• On shaky ground: In a position with uncertain support or weak justification.
• Lay the groundwork: Make preparations that allow later work to proceed.
• Get in on the ground floor: Become involved at an early stage.
• Keep your feet on the ground: Remain practical and realistic.
• Pull the rug out from under someone: Unexpectedly remove support or disrupt someone's situation.
• Get a foothold: Establish an initial secure position from which further progress may be possible.

Wordplay

Grounds can mean reasons, the land surrounding a building or small particles left after brewing coffee. Grounded can describe a practical outlook, an aircraft prevented from flying or a person restricted from going out. Context determines which sense is intended.

Related Pages

Falling, Rocks, Feet and Ankles, Swamps, Burdens.

Browse the library

Earth, landscape and place

Subject index | Stories and literature | All articles A-Z