Fall down a hatch/hole?

[Ashraful Haque]

There was a hatch on the floor. I accidentally fell down the hatch. I've heard "I fell down the hole." But someone told me that it should be 'fell through the hatch.' I understand why through is used here. But why do we say 'fell down the hole' but not 'fell down the hatch' since when I imagine someone falling I don't see any difference whether it's a hatch or just a hole on the ground?

 

[emsr2d2]

A hole is three-dimensional. It has sides. It has height and width and depth. A hatch is two-dimensional. It has width and depth but not height. Imagine a hatch as something like a window but on the vertical plane. If you enter a room via the window, you climb through it.

The hatch is the square space through which you pass in order to fall into the space underneath it (a room or a hole).

 

[Ashraful Haque]

A hole is three-dimensional. It has sides. It has height and width and depth. A hatch is two-dimensional. It has width and depth but not height. Imagine a hatch as something like a window but on the vertical plane. If you enter a room via the window, you climb through it.

The hatch is the square space through which you pass in order to fall into the space underneath it (a room or a hole).

Thank you so much for the answer. I wonder if there are any thing other than a hole where we'd use 'fell down the....'

 

[GoesStation]

Thank you so much for the answer. I wonder if there are any thing other than a hole where we'd use 'fell down the....'

Stairs, ladder, steps, hill, bank, and many others.

 

[emsr2d2]

My description was specifically meant to refer to a "hatch" in the floor, since that's the only kind you can fall through. Of course some have doors or flaps with hinges, but you probably wouldn't fall through the hatch if the doors were closed. In the UK, that would be a trapdoor and that's not what I was thinking of when I read your question.

 

[Tdol]

Stairs, ladder, steps, hill, bank, and many others.

Not the mention the rabbit hole.

 

[Tarheel]

Thank you so much for the answer. I wonder if there is anything other than a hole where we'd use 'fell down the....'

Yes. And you don't want to do any of those things. (Falling down the stairs is painful.)

 

[Ashraful Haque]

Stairs, ladder, steps, hill, bank, and many others.

I think I get it. I guess it's also correct to say "The child fell through the window."

I have a question about ladder and hill. Don't we usually use 'off' for something we're on? So wouldn't it be correct to say "I fell off the ladder/hill?"

 

[jutfrank]

You can fall off a ladder, but not a hill.

 

[Skrej]

I'm not bothered by 'fall down the hatch'.

We do have the expression 'down the hatch', meaning to drink (or sometimes eat) something quickly - especially something strong or bad-tasting. You might say it right before taking a shot of alcohol, for example. It's an allusion to naval hatches, by which people and goods went down into a ship's hold.

 

[Ashraful Haque]

You can fall off a ladder, but not a hill.

So it's fall down the hill? Is there a logic or is it one of those 'it is what it is' things?

 

[Ashraful Haque]

I'm not bothered by 'fall down the hatch'.

We do have the expression 'down the hatch', meaning to drink (or sometimes eat) something quickly - especially something strong or bad-tasting. You might say it right before taking a shot of alcohol, for example. It's an allusion to naval hatches, by which people and goods went down into a ship's hold.

What about my context? When you literally fall through a hatch.

 

[jutfrank]

So it's fall down the hill? Is there a logic or is it one of those 'it is what it is' things?

You can't fall off a hill because of the sense of the word off. When you fall off something, you travel towards, and then hit, the ground.

 

[Skrej]

What about my context? When you literally fall through a hatch.

I didn't argue against 'through', I just opined that I felt 'down' was also okay in your original sentence. Either works for me.

 

[Ashraful Haque]

I didn't argue against 'through', I just opined that I felt 'down' was also okay in your original sentence. Either works for me.

So both sound equally natural to you?

 

[Ashraful Haque]

You can't fall off a hill because of the sense of the word off. When you fall off something, you travel towards, and then hit, the ground.

I'm sorry but I didn't get what you meant by 'travel towards.' I though you had to be 'on' something to 'fall off' it. Aren't we 'on' a hill?

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm sorry but I didn't get what you meant by 'travel towards.' I thought you had to be 'on' something to 'fall off' it. Aren't we 'on' a hill?

Did you understand that "travel towards" is connected to "the ground"? Here's the general sequence of events that happens to someone who falls off a cliff, and then someone who falls down a hill:

You are on [top of] a cliff. You fall off the cliff. You are falling through the air. You are travelling towards the ground. You hit the ground.

You are on a hill. You fall down the hill. You are not in the air. You are in contact with the ground at all times, rolling over and over until you finally reach the point where the hill finishes and the flat ground begins. Then you stop (hopefully).

 

[GoesStation]

You are on a hill. You fall down the hill. You are not in the air. You are in contact with the ground at all times, rolling over and over until you finally reach the point where the hill finishes and the flat ground begins. You break your crown.* Then you stop (hopefully).

See above.

*This is an attempt at humor. Learners who don't recognize the reference should Google "broke his crown".

 

[Tdol]

I'm sorry but I didn't get what you meant by 'travel towards.' I though you had to be 'on' something to 'fall off' it. Aren't we 'on' a hill?

Is falling off a cliff the same as falling down a mountain? Think of the fall above all- falling off this is not the same as falling off this.

 

[Ashraful Haque]

Did you understand that "travel towards" is connected to "the ground"? Here's the general sequence of events that happens to someone who falls off a cliff, and then someone who falls down a hill:

You are on [top of] a cliff. You fall off the cliff. You are falling through the air. You are travelling towards the ground. You hit the ground.

You are on a hill. You fall down the hill. You are not in the air. You are in contact with the ground at all times, rolling over and over until you finally reach the point where the hill finishes and the flat ground begins. Then you stop (hopefully).

Wow. This is a very interesting read. I had no idea about the difference between a hill and a cliff. I thought cliff was just another word for the tip of a hill/mountain. Here are two examples. Please let me know if I'm correct.

For this I'd say 'the 110 year old man fell down the hill and survived with no injuries.'



And for this I'd say 'the 110 year old man fell off the cliff into the river and survived because he could swim.'