2

A girl was feeling sleepy(as she'd just woken up.)She's talking to her friend. So her friend asks her to pick up a glass of water,and :

Throw it on your face.
Splash it on your face./Splash your face.
Spill it on your face.
Pour some water on your face.

What should be used "#1 or #2(with that or option) or #3 or #4?
So what should be used?

And an additional note: What should be used:Splash your face or Splash water on your face?

Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3

In my experience you would want to use "splash".

Throw implies a slightly more aggressive action. For example, spoken in anger, "Why did you throw water on me?" Similarly, someone that says "I went to the bathroom and threw water on my face." is probably trying to project a masculine image.

Splash has a playful connotation. Splashing is what children do when they play in water, e.g. "Sara is splashing Bobby in the pool". It takes on a more neutral connotation when used in other contexts, "I went to the sink and splashed water on my face."

Spill is only used for accidents. To me it implies an accidental "pouring" action where gravity does most of the work. It's hard to imagine someone spilling water on their own face, but it's not impossible either.

Pour is used when a cup is turned upside down and its contents go downward toward the ground. For example, "She poured water on the floor." or "She poured water in the cup." A person can pour water on their own face, but they would have to be holding the container above their heads and willing to make a mess. Athletes are known to do this when they're outside after a workout.

Improve this answer
2
  • goo.gl/images/YDzUai , here pouring has been used.So is it wrong?
    – It's about English
    Feb 4, 2019 at 4:35
  • @It'saboutEnglish Good check. That's correct usage actually. The general idea with pour is that gravity is doing most of the work, and it's done deliberately. I've updated the definition for pour.
    – Lanno
    Feb 5, 2019 at 16:04
0

"Splash (some water/it) on your face"

is the proper one to use in your case.

As for the other ones, you will understand them through examples:

  • Spill: Be careful to not spill the tea on your clothes.

  • Pour: Pour me a glass of juice, please.

  • Pour me some juice, please.

A shorter way of saying it

  • Throw: She was very angry that she threw (the past tense of throw) the drink on her.
Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .