fall vs fall down vs drop

[ckcgordon]

I find it difficult to distinguish "fall" from "fall down". My dictionary can't help.
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A similar problem is the difference between "fall" and "drop". I'm not sure whether I should say "The curtain in my bedroom fell" or "The curtain in my bedroom dropped".

[Trisia]

[I'm not a teacher, mind you]

I think it's safer to say "The curtain fell down". "The curtain fell" makes me think of theatres and such.

We need more context on this, but:

"fall" can be a verb and a noun (meaning autumn). when you say "fall down", everybody knows you're not talking about a season :)

Fall (as a verb) can also have other meanings, including "to fall down". I think a dictionary will help, if you're careful enough.

[Jason72]

Fall doesn't mean only autumn! Here's a for instance:

n.
The act or an instance of falling.
A sudden drop from a relatively erect to a less erect position.
Something that has fallen: a fall of hail.

An amount that has fallen: a fall of two inches of rain.
The distance that something falls: The victim suffered a fall of three stories to the ground.
Autumn.
falls (used with a sing. or pl. verb) A waterfall.
A downward movement or slope.
Any of several pendent articles of dress, especially:
A veil hung from a woman's hat and down her back.
An ornamental cascade of lace or trimming attached to a dress, usually at the collar.
A woman's hairpiece with long, free-hanging hair.

An overthrow; a collapse: the fall of a government.
Armed capture of a place under siege: the fall of Troy.
A reduction in value, amount, or degree.
A marked, often sudden, decline in status, rank, or importance: “turned them in, set them up for prosecution; positioned them, as it were, for the fall” (Joan Didion).

A moral lapse.
A loss of chastity.
often Fall Theology. The loss of humanity's original innocence and happiness resulting from Adam and Eve's eating of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
Sports.
The act of holding a wrestling opponent on his or her back so that the shoulders remain in contact with the mat for a designated period, usually one or two seconds, thereby winning the match. Also called pin.
Any of various wrestling maneuvers resulting in such an act.
Nautical.
A break or rise in the level of a deck.
falls The apparatus used to hoist and transfer cargo or lifeboats.
The end of a cable, rope, or chain that is pulled by the power source in hoisting.

The birth of an animal, especially a lamb.
All the animals born at one birth; a litter.
A family of woodcock in flight. See synonyms at flock1.
Botany. The outer series of perianth in the irises and related plants.
adj.
Of, having to do with, occurring in, or appropriate to the season of fall: fall fashion; fall harvests.
Grown during the season of fall: fall crops.


Source of information: fall: Definition, Synonyms and Much More from Answers.com

[Jason72]

The verb fall down has one meaning:

Meaning #1: lose an upright position suddenly
Synonym: fall

From the same site.

[Trisia]

Fall doesn't mean only autumn! Here's a for instance:

I think I see a typo there. And a statement that probably originated because of my post, although I said no such thing

Regards, Trisia

EDIT: Thank you for that list. I felt way too lazy to do it myself.

[Jason72]

Originally Posted by Trisia

I think I see a typo there. And a statement that probably originated because of my post, although I said no such thing

What's wrong about ''for instance''

[Trisia]

Never mind. I thought you meant "Here's for instance" and accidentaly put in an extra "a". Your interesting post smells like AE to me...

And to my non-native ears it sounds so much better when you say "What's wrong with "for instance".

[Jason72]

Give me a ''for instance''. Give me an example. It is a tad AE.

About fits as well, but with is probably more common...