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Mitsuo23 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Fallen to or on the floor?

Hi,




Will you explain why it says fallen to instead of fallen on? From the context I suppose the gloves are not in the air, they are already on the floor. So I think on is more proper.



It was easier to say nothing than to announce that Janet's gloves had fallen to the floor.




Thank you,

M
  

Top answer

I would say they had fallen on the floor. But: It fell to me to break the sad news to them. CB

— Cool Breeze

  • I would say they had fallen on the floor.
  • But: It fell to me to break the sad news to them.
  • CB
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8 Answers
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I would say they had fallen on the floor. But: It fell to me to break the sad news to them.

CB
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Thank you for the reply.

So you don't basically see no difference beween "fell on" and "fell to" in this context, meaning both are acceptable?

Thank you,

M
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Unfortunately you'll have to wait for native speakers' replies and see if they agree on the prepositions. All I can say is that I would avoid "to the floor".

CB
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Ohhhh, you are from Finland. I've been thinking you are the native speaker.Emotion: embarrassed

Thank you,

M
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Yes, 'fall to the floor', 'fall to the ground' are common enough. The emphasis is on the action, not where the objects have landed.
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Thank you for the reply.

So what he saw was the gloves falling from Janet to the floor, not her gloves on the floor. Correct?

Also, would you describe why it says, had fallen? I think fell or were falling is correct.

Thank you,

M
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No, he saw them on the floor, but the point is the action, not the location.
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