Why is precipitation on Earth's surface less common on land than it is over the oceans (hint: water cycle) ?

There are many reasons for this. First of all, any water from Earth's surface can flow into the ocean due to gravity. There are also glaciers in the ocean that can melt. In the water cycle, the ocean, the atmosphere, and the land continuously exchange moisture among each other. Because weather patterns form and dissipate slower over the water than over the land, there is more circulation occurring in the atmosphere above the land. Therefore, there's more cloud formation.