to go up

[constantinusphilo]

What is the best way to say that he/she went up to the second floor? He ascended the second floor/ he climbed up to the second floor? What is the difference between the three? I think the first is the most neutral, the second is formal, and the third implies difficulty in going up. Any other variants?

 

[teechar]

I think the first is the most neutral, natural, the second is formal, and the third implies difficulty in going up. Any other variants?

Note that "natural" and "neutral" have different meanings. You're right the the first is ordinarily (if you're talking about going up the stairs or taking the lift/elevator (AmE)). I would not use the second. The third is possible if, for example, you're talking about a person (burglar, daredevil, etc.) going up from the outside, in which case, you can also use "He/She scaled the building and went up to the second floor".

 

[jutfrank]

1. He went up to the second floor.
2. He ascended the second floor.
3. He climbed up to the second floor.


The second sentence is wrong. You can't ascend a floor, since the floor is a destination.

The difference between 1 and 3 is meaning. In 1, the verb go has a basic sense of moving from A to B. In 3, the verb climb has the same meaning and more. As you say, it could be used to imply that there was effort involved but there are many other ways it could be used too. As teecher says, it may mean that a burglar is scaling a building on the outside.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'neutral', by the way. Are you talking about meaning or register?

 

[constantinusphilo]

I still hope that 'ascend' may be correct in this context but very archaic. I will post an example if I find it in literature.

 

[emsr2d2]

I still hope that 'ascend' may be correct in this context but very archaic. I will post an example if I find it in literature.

The problem isn't the word "ascend". It's that we ascend stairs, not floors.

 

[jutfrank]

I still hope that 'ascend' may be correct in this context but very archaic. I will post an example if I find it in literature.

As I've told you, it is not correct. You can ascend to the second floor, and you can ascend the stairs, but you can't ascend the second floor because that makes no sense.

Do you see the difference? The second floor is the destination, the final point, not the thing you're climbing.