Native English speakers, could you please help me with these issues?

Question

Which is correct:

a) "The crab hid himself UNDER the sand of the beach."

or

b) "The crab hid himself BENEATH the sand of the beach."

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

The crab hid/hid himself IN the sand of the beach.

Beneath the sand would mean he reached another substance -- rock, clay -- and the sand was on top of him.

Gretchen S · Answer

Most people would say, “the crab hid under the sand.”  Using it reflexively (hid himself) is not wrong but is not generally used.

liam · Answer

both are correct but Beneath the sand sounds better

Ben · Answer

Both are fine. You could also just use "in".

Anonymous · Answer

The crab hid himself BENEATH the sand of the beach
or
The crab hid himself BENEATH the sand at the beach