when a building or something burns, some people say it burned down and some say it burned up. so, which is it up or down?
2006-07-16 22:29:56 · 17 answers · asked by rb_32368 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
I guess it's 6 dozen of one, or half a dozen of the other. It's all in how you look at it.
2006-07-16 22:33:38 · answer #1 · answered by heatherbee 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Buildings and forests burn down. But something in a fire gets burned up. For instance, you would say, "my friend's house burned down and all her pictures and keepsakes were burned up."
2006-07-17 05:38:18 · answer #2 · answered by runningviolin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think generally it would depend on the object. for example: a bulding ends up as rubble on the ground, and therefore burns down. but if you empty a teabag, and stand it as a (relatively) cylindrical thing on your hand, and light the top, it flies up because of the heat and how light it is. i'd say that it burnt up.
or maybe it's just the size of the object?
or maybe the tense of the verb: a feverish person is burnING up etc.
hope that helps
2006-07-17 05:36:11 · answer #3 · answered by visionary 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thinking about it, I probably say down, but if I had a fever I would say burning up
2006-07-17 05:35:44 · answer #4 · answered by Keanu 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the building itself burned down as in that building burnt to the ground but every thing in it burned up as in all my shi* got burned up
2006-07-17 05:39:00 · answer #5 · answered by bobwis 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
some burn down and some up
2006-07-17 05:33:02 · answer #6 · answered by mona 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could "Go up" in smoke, or "Burn down" to the ground
2006-07-17 05:34:05 · answer #7 · answered by scummibear 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The flames will go up but the ashes will come down.
2006-07-17 05:34:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
when youre happy on the happening of that incident yud say Up
but if youre not happy then Down .
2006-07-17 05:39:12 · answer #9 · answered by Mr George 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends.
If it is still standing.. it burned up.
If it fell down...
2006-07-17 05:33:01 · answer #10 · answered by Puppy Zwolle 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋