"Fall" is to descend by gravity (intransitive); "drop" can be transitive (to let something fall) or intransitive (to decrease abruptly).
To descend. Always intransitive: the thing falls on its own. Also: autumn (in American English), or a fall (a stumble).
A leaf fell from the tree and landed on my book.
Una hoja cayo del arbol y aterrizo sobre mi libro.
He fell down the stairs and broke his wrist.
El se cayo por las escaleras y se rompio la muneca.
The leaves change color every fall in New England.
Las hojas cambian de color cada otono en Nueva Inglaterra.
Intransitive: to decrease abruptly (price, temperature). Transitive: to let something fall deliberately or accidentally.
She dropped her phone and the screen cracked.
Ella dejo caer su telefono y la pantalla se rajo.
The temperature dropped ten degrees overnight. We were not prepared.
La temperatura bajo diez grados durante la noche. No estabamos preparados.
Sales dropped by thirty percent after the scandal broke.
Las ventas cayeron un treinta por ciento despues de que estallar el escandalo.
Common mistake
Using "fall" when there is an agent causing the fall: "She fell her phone" does not exist in English — the correct transitive verb is "She dropped her phone". "Fall" is always intransitive (no direct object in the sense of falling). For prices and statistics that decrease abruptly, "fall" and "drop" are interchangeable: "prices fell/dropped." For temperature: "temperatures dropped" is more common than "temperatures fell".
Trick to remember it
Agency: did something/someone cause another thing to fall? "Drop" (transitive). Did something fall on its own? "Fall" (intransitive). For numerical data (price, temperature, percentage) going down: both work. "Drop" for numbers sometimes implies more abrupt or significant change. Fixed expressions: "fall in love" (not "drop in love"), "drop a class" (unenroll), "fall asleep" (not "drop asleep").
Quick rule
Fall = fall on its own (intransitive). Drop = let something fall (transitive) or decrease abruptly (numbers).
Did you know?
In American English "fall" is the word for autumn. In British English the season is "autumn". "Fall" comes from the phrase "fall of the leaf" used in 17th-century English. Settlers brought this expression to America where it survived; meanwhile in Britain the French-origin word "autumn" prevailed. Today "autumn" sounds literary in the US; "fall" sounds informal in Britain.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
He _____ his keys somewhere between the car and the front door.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The stock market _____ sharply after the unexpected announcement.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Fall = fall on its own (intransitive). Drop = let something fall (transitive) or decrease abruptly (numbers).
Using "fall" when there is an agent causing the fall: "She fell her phone" does not exist in English — the correct transitive verb is "She dropped her phone". "Fall" is always intransitive (no direct object in the sense of falling). For prices and statistics that decrease abruptly, "fall" and "drop" are interchangeable: "prices fell/dropped." For temperature: "temperatures dropped" is more common than "temperatures fell".
Agency: did something/someone cause another thing to fall? "Drop" (transitive). Did something fall on its own? "Fall" (intransitive). For numerical data (price, temperature, percentage) going down: both work. "Drop" for numbers sometimes implies more abrupt or significant change. Fixed expressions: "fall in love" (not "drop in love"), "drop a class" (unenroll), "fall asleep" (not "drop asleep").
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy