Sinking or drowning

Hi, Mahmoud,

@Mahmoud Jaber posted:

In Oxford wordpower dictionary the word "lifebelt" is defined as follows:

"A lifebelt is thrown to a person who has fallen into water to stop them from sinking."

Why "sinking"? Why not "drowning" since we are talking about people?

The person may drown all the same if they inhale water (imagine big waves). What the lifebelt will do is keep the person afloat, that is, prevent them from going down.

Thanks for your reply,  Gustavo. However, it's not yet clear enough what you mean. Can you clarify more?

Hi, Mahmoud Jaber,

@Mahmoud Jaber posted:

Thanks for your reply,  Gustavo. However, it's not yet clear enough what you mean. Can you clarify more?

What Gustavo means is well explained by Rachel, our late moderator, in the link below:

"We don't usually say something like "he is sinking," because it doesn't happen very often.

A true story: A year-old baby I knew was playing at the edge of the swimming pool. Before anyone could catch him, he fell into the pool and sank to the bottom. His mother saw the fall, of course, and jumped in after him and picked him up and out of the pool. He was smiling!

The baby had sunk to the bottom of the pool, and his mother had saved him from drowning."

https://thegrammarexchange.inf...c/drowning-v-sinking

So, your example simply means that a lifebelt is thrown to a person who has fallen into water to stop them from sinking / going down to the bottom.

Thanks a lot, Ahmed. That's really clear-cut. Highly appreciate it.