drop - (мултран унах, унагаах) [intransitive, transitive] to fall or allow something to fall by accident
fall - (унах) [intransitive] to drop down from a higher level to a lower level
fall - (унах) [intransitive] to drop down from a higher level to a lower level
What are the differences between Drop and Fall?
I guess this is a language question not a physics question.
The difference is what grammatical part of the sentence falls. For "fall" the subject is what falls. For "drop" the direct object is what falls.
"I drop the ball."
"The ball falls."
Actually "drop" can also be used in either way.
"The ball drops."
But fall can never be used the opposite way.
*"I fall the ball." - Wrong
The difference is what grammatical part of the sentence falls. For "fall" the subject is what falls. For "drop" the direct object is what falls.
"I drop the ball."
"The ball falls."
Actually "drop" can also be used in either way.
"The ball drops."
But fall can never be used the opposite way.
*"I fall the ball." - Wrong
drop vs fall
In this context, as an intransitive verb, either of two would be fine. And that's the biggest difference between "drop" and "fall". While the verb "fall" is always intransitive, the verb "drop" can also function as a transitive verb with a direct object: She dropped her hat.
English as a Second Language/'fall' and 'drop
Answer
Dear Chow Yin
They can change over when you are talking about the action of simply descending through the air, but may have a difference when it comes to what caused the 'descent'. 'Drop' implies a bit more control (or volition) than 'fall', but once the ground isn't there, it doesn't matter much which one you are doing.
In the accident, for instance, you fall (or fall over) in the same way that you 'trip' - ie, your foot catches and you fall over. You might be able to stop yourself falling completely, but once 'overbalanced' you have momentarily lost control. Similarly, people can accidentally fall from (eg) a window or a cliff - they didn't want to, so it wasn't 'under their control'.
On the other hand, you can 'drop to the ground', meaning that you lie down quickly, such as soldiers do in films when the shooting starts. Or there is the action where you wish to come down from a height which is too far to jump down safely, but you can hold on, lower yourself as far as you can, then 'drop' the rest of the way - letting go when you choose, and being ready to land on your feet - always (hopefully) in control.
The little bird is slightly different. Here, you can say either because it's not a human making decisions, but a small creature which, we assume, isn't able to decide. Whether they fall or drop, therefore is immaterial. In the same way, ripe fruit can either drop or fall from the tree.
Two other uses might illustrate the (human) difference:
- You 'drop' something out of a window (deliberately let go of it) and it 'falls' to the ground (you no longer control it's actions).
- Parachute jumping from an aircraft is known as a 'drop', but until you operate the parachute (and gain control), you are said to be 'free-falling'.
Dear Chow Yin
They can change over when you are talking about the action of simply descending through the air, but may have a difference when it comes to what caused the 'descent'. 'Drop' implies a bit more control (or volition) than 'fall', but once the ground isn't there, it doesn't matter much which one you are doing.
In the accident, for instance, you fall (or fall over) in the same way that you 'trip' - ie, your foot catches and you fall over. You might be able to stop yourself falling completely, but once 'overbalanced' you have momentarily lost control. Similarly, people can accidentally fall from (eg) a window or a cliff - they didn't want to, so it wasn't 'under their control'.
On the other hand, you can 'drop to the ground', meaning that you lie down quickly, such as soldiers do in films when the shooting starts. Or there is the action where you wish to come down from a height which is too far to jump down safely, but you can hold on, lower yourself as far as you can, then 'drop' the rest of the way - letting go when you choose, and being ready to land on your feet - always (hopefully) in control.
The little bird is slightly different. Here, you can say either because it's not a human making decisions, but a small creature which, we assume, isn't able to decide. Whether they fall or drop, therefore is immaterial. In the same way, ripe fruit can either drop or fall from the tree.
Two other uses might illustrate the (human) difference:
- You 'drop' something out of a window (deliberately let go of it) and it 'falls' to the ground (you no longer control it's actions).
- Parachute jumping from an aircraft is known as a 'drop', but until you operate the parachute (and gain control), you are said to be 'free-falling'.
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