Learn English – Difference between “asleep” and “sleeping”

My personal sentiment is that much of the difference is merely cultural, such as the difference between you guys, you all, and y’all among American English speakers when addressing a group of people.

However, there are some times where they are not interchangeable. It's very hard to make rules for these examples because there are parts to the rules.

Specifically, when you use the word over you are referring to distance.

In one example, I say: “Matt, come here please.” The message I want to convey is that I would like Matt to be at the same location as me. I don’t want to communicate anything about the distance or area traveled to get to me. The emphasis is him coming to where I am.

However, in another example, I say: “Matt, come over here please.” The message I am conveying emphasizes his need to travel a distance to get to my location. The distance can be short or long. I am communicating that I realize there is an effort to be made, an area to be covered, or a distance to be traveled.

An example using there, I say: “Do you see that ball over there?” My emphasis is on the distance between us and the ball which partially communicates to the other person that they may have to look far away. I would not say, “Do you see that ball there?” It would be understood but it would not sound right.

Another example, I say: “Spain is beautiful. I’ve been there many times.” My emphasis is not the distance traveled or the travel itself. My emphasis is Spain. It makes more sense to use only the word there, not over there. I would not say, “I’ve been over there many times.” It would be ok in this case but it sounds a little off.

According to the American Cancer Society the process is grieving, and mourning is a part of it:

Mourning:

• is the outward expression of loss and grief. Mourning includes rituals and other actions that are specific to each person’s culture, personality, and religion. Bereavement and mourning are both part of the grieving process.

Grieving:

• involves many different emotions, actions, and expressions, all of which help the person come to terms with the loss of a loved one. But keep in mind, grief doesn’t look the same for everyone. And, every loss is different.

The following extract appear to confirm the difference between the two terms stated above. In both cases mourning is explained as the "formal" and more public part of the process of grieving:

From Will I grieve or will I mourn? by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D

• Grief is the constellation of internal thoughts and feelings we have when someone we love dies.

  Think of grief as the container. It holds your thoughts, feelings, and images of your experience when someone you love dies. In other words, grief is the internal meaning given to the experience of loss.

• Mourning is when you take the grief you have on the inside and express it outside of yourself.

  Another way of defining mourning is "grief gone public" or "the outward expression of grief." There is no one right or only way to mourn. Talking about the person who died, crying, expressing your thoughts and feelings through art or music, journaling, praying, and celebrating special anniversary dates that held meaning for the person who died are just a few examples of mourning.

Everyone grieves differently from www.helpguide.org:

• Grieving is a personal and highly individual experience. How you grieve depends on many factors, including your personality and coping style, your life experience, your faith, and the nature of the loss. The grieving process takes time. Healing happens gradually; it can’t be forced or hurried—and there is no “normal” timetable for grieving. Some people start to feel better in weeks or months. For others, the grieving process is measured in years. Whatever your grief experience, it’s important to be patient with yourself and allow the process to naturally unfold.