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New2grammar Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

climbed under

0A medic climbed under a concrete slab to reach a 5 year old kid who had been trapped under the rubble for 50 hours. 02br
00She attended?? her injuries before helping her out of the collapsed apartment building.02br
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00Can I use climb in this context? Does it imply there were stairs/a ladder under the concrete slab?02br
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00Also, what would be a good verb to use before injuries? Attended/treated?02br
02br
00Thanks!0-
  

Top answer

0 If the concrete slab were near the top of a large pile of rubble, the rescuer might very well have had to climb to get to it. To me this phrasing doesn't imply stairs or a ladder, no. "Crawled under a slab" sounds to me as though the slab were very near the ground.

— Delmobile

  • 0 If the concrete slab were near the top of a large pile of rubble, the rescuer might very well have had to climb to get to it.
  • To me this phrasing doesn't imply stairs or a ladder, no.
  • "Crawled under a slab" sounds to me as though the slab were very near the ground.
  • 02br 02br 00I'd say "attended 01i 00to 02i 00her injuries," but "treated her injuries" is more direct and a better choice.
  • 0-
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9 Answers
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0 If the concrete slab were near the top of a large pile of rubble, the rescuer might very well have had to climb to get to it. To me this phrasing doesn't imply stairs or a ladder, no. "Crawled under a slab" sounds to me as though the slab were very near the ground. Maybe "climbed a pile of rubble and crawled under a concrete slab" would be crystal-clear, but your sentence works for me.02br
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0 Thanks Delmobile. Great explanation! 0-
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0 Hi New2grammar02br
02br
00A medic climbed under a concrete slab to reach a 01b005-year-old02b00 kid... (Should be hyphenated.)0-
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0Yoong Liat, Thanks.0-
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0The Cambridge Dictionary defines 01i00climb02i00 as02br
00to move into or out of a small space awkwardly or with difficulty or effort02br
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00Since it is not a flat surface under the slab, 00"crawl" may not be the appropriate word. I think they do need to climb up and down on the rubble within the very narrow space.02br
00
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0I'm not saying the dictionary is wrong but if it's correct about this particular definition, moving02br
00through an air vent should be described using the word climb as opposed to crawl which I think I've heard native speakers use.02br
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00Pter, did you introduce the surface flatness condition or is itpart of the dictionary definition?02br
00What
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0When you crawl, you stretch out your body along the ground or you're on your hands and knees. This normally happens on a flat or close-to-flat surface. We say "climb on the rocks" instead of "crawl on the rocks". The action they need in such a situation is more like climbing on rocks instead of crawling on a surface. The inside of an air vent is a flat surface.02br
00The muscles
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0Your explanation totally makes sense. I believe the dictionary definition should be modified to include 02br
00the surface condition. Thank you, Pter!0-
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0Perhaps and perhaps not. The word crawl is a description of your body motion, not the environmental condition in which such body motion is possible. However, it may be helpful as an example.02br
00It is also possible to crawl in other situations, such as in a trench. 0-
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