Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[learner12]

Hello, teachers!!

(1) Down went the bus over the cliff.
(2) Down went the bus along the cliff.

I saw (1) in a certain grammar book, but I think that (2) is acceptable in English.

Do you have any differences?

[pugachevV]

Down went the bus over the cliff means the bus crashed.
Over in this sense, expresses passage or trajectory across > beyond and falling.
Down went the bus along the cliff means the bus drove along the cliff in a downward direction.
along generally means moving in a constant direction (on a more or ,less horizontal surface). Down does not mean horizontally and the two sentences do not mean the same thing.

[learner12]

Dear pugachevV:

Thank you so much for your quick wonderful explanations.

Take care and have a nice day!!