# Rush/come forward



## loureed4

Hola,

   Acabo de leer esta frase en un libro: "He rushed *forward *to stop her from throwing herself into the river"

I was wondering what "forward" adds in meaning to the sentence, or...is it only to stress "rush"?

Otras veces, en películas veo: "Come *forward*" (con el contexto de un coronel dicíendoselo a un soldado para que se acerque a él)

In neither case I understand quite well why it is needed to use "forward"

Thanks in advance!!


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## etlj89

In my opinion it means that he took one quick step forward to stop her. He was right behind her and he rushed forward as quickly as he could.

"He rushed to stop her" could mean that he was 10 miles away, and was in a hurry to stop her.


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## loureed4

Thanks etlj89!

So...Does "forward" indicate nearness?.

Again, thanks a lot for helping me!!


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## etlj89

loureed4 said:


> Thanks etlj89!
> 
> So...Does "forward" indicate nearness?.
> 
> Again, thanks a lot for helping me!!



It indicates the direction that he moved. Gramatically it doesn't indicate nearness. Maybe on a subconscious level it indicates nearness. All I can tell you is what I imagine when I see the words "he rushed forward to stop her".


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## k-in-sc

Yes, forward: in the direction he was already going or facing


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## loureed4

I don´t get it. BUT THANKS JUST THE SAME!!


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## juan082937

loureed4 said:


> Hola,
> 
> Acabo de leer esta frase en un libro: "He rushed *forward *to stop her from throwing herself into the river"
> 
> I was wondering what "forward" adds in meaning to the sentence, or...is it only to stress "rush"?
> 
> Otras veces, en películas veo: "Come *forward*" (con el contexto de un coronel dicíendoselo a un soldado para que se acerque a él)
> 
> In neither case I understand quite well why it is needed to use "forward"
> 
> Thanks in advance!!



Forward es adelantarse, (rush forward) dar un paso adelante ( ejército) come forward.


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## duvija

I understand the 'nearness' concept from etlj89. But I could also use it if what I needed to do was to press a button that would, oh, close off the road to the river, or let loose some dogs who wouldn't allow a suicide... I think there is a sense of 'a fast reaction'.


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## loureed4

Thanks Juan and duvija.

Juan, el concepto de "forward" hacia adelante me suena bien, porque creo que siempre las palabras terminadas en -wards , indican el sentido del movimiento sino me equivoco: "upwards, onwards, downwards, backwards..."

duvija, that is what I wonder, the sense of "fast" .

In my humble opinion the explanation given by Juan is quite good, but I still don´t see the sense of "urgency" (probably just because I am not a native)

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!


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## sound shift

The sense of urgency is in "rush", not in "forward". "Rush" implies "fast".
"Came forward": neutral; no implication of "fast".
"Ambled forward": implication of "slowly".

"Forward" can be preceded by many other verbs.
"Rush" is not always followed by "forward".


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## loureed4

Thanks sound shift.

I agree. Not being a native I can opine differently, but I though that the difference between "run" and "rush" is the "fast" nuance.

As for "forward" . I think it is like: upward, onwards, downwards, backwards...they all indicate the direction?

But, in some lectures, the lecturer usually says: "Ok, let´s move forward (=let´s continue) ?

Thanks!!


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## sound shift

"upward": hacia arriba
"onwards": adelante, en adelante, hacia adelante
"downwards": hacia abajo
"backwards": hacia atrás
"forward": hacia adelante

"Let's move forward" se entiende pero no lo diría si fuera el profesor; diría "Let's move on."


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## loureed4

I have seen it in on-line conferences, the lecturer saying: "Let´s move forward".

In any rate, the captain could have commanded to the soldier: "Come *here/forward/closer*" ?

And the guy near the river, the sentence could be: "He rushed *towards *her to stop her from throwing herself into the river" ?

Thanks, I knew all those meanings (upwards...) , but thanks just the same.

I really appreciate your replies!


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## k-in-sc

"Let's move forward" gives more of a sense of progress than "Let's move on," which usually means "OK, enough of that subject."
Come here: come to where I am
Come forward: come forward from where you are
Come closer: come towards me

As for "He rushed* towards *her to stop her from throwing herself into the river," he couldn't stop her unless he reached her, not just moved* in her direction*.


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## loureed4

Thanks K-in-sc

I knew the difference between come here and come closer, kind of easy!! . What I meant is if "Come forward" wasn´t kind of the same of come here, come closer and come towards me.

An explanation can never contain what you are trying to explain, for instance:  "Come forward: come forward from where you are" 

thanks!!


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## k-in-sc

loureed4 said:


> Thanks K-in-sc
> 
> I knew the difference between come here and come closer, kind of easy!! . What I meant is if "Come forward" wasn´t kind of the same of come here, come closer and come towards me.
> 
> An explanation can never contain what you are trying to explain, for instance:  "Come forward: come forward from where you are"


Well, my explanation did.

In the military, when the troops are lined up, the commander might ask volunteers for a mission to step forward. They're not approaching anything or anyone, they're just taking a step forward to separate themselves from the rest.


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## duvija

sound shift said:


> The sense of urgency is in "rush", not in "forward". "Rush" implies "fast".
> "Came forward": neutral; no implication of "fast".
> "Ambled forward": implication of "slowly".
> 
> "Forward" can be preceded by many other verbs.
> "Rush" is not always followed by "forward".



Right. I got confused by the whole collocation. It has some 'right now' feeling to it, whether you use 'rush' or not. But it's probably just context.
In another answer, k-in-sc said you cannot help unless you reach the person. I found it really interesting, but again, it's in the 'semantic- or better: pragmatic - context'  and not in the semantic of the words themselves.


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## loureed4

So, "he rushed forward to stop her from throwing herself into the river" , according to all of you, "rush" has the sense of going fast, but "forward" ?

Maybe it is that he didn´t rush backwards or upwards or downwards?

But then: What is the difference between "Come" and "Come forward" ?  , or "rush" and "rush forward" ?

FORWARD IS KIND OF CONFUSING TO ME, I DON´T GET WHAT IT ADDS IN MEANING TO "RUSH" OR "COME"

For example, a captain again says to the soldier: "Come forward" , ...why not just "Come here/closer" ?


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## duvija

loureed4 said:


> So, "he rushed forward to stop her from throwing herself into the river" , according to all of you, "rush" has the sense of going fast, but "forward" ?
> 
> Maybe it is that he didn´t rush backwards or upwards or downwards?



It seems it refers to the direction of the runner/rusher once he decided to save the poor suicidal soul. Even if someone is about to jump to the left of him, I wouldn't say 'he rushed sideward to help'... and if I see someone about to jump from a cliff, and I'm already down, happily swimming in the river facing the other way, I couldn't say 'I rushed backwards... '


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## loureed4

I think I get it now better, kind of difficult for a Spanish.

Thanks a lot!


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## sound shift

loureed4 said:


> But then: What is the difference between "Come" and "Come forward" ?


It's the difference between "venir" and "avanzar". In fact, "come forward" can in some contexts mean "presentarse": "There was gunfire in the town centre last night. The police are appealing for witnesses. So far, five people have come forward." "Come forward" cannot be replaced by "come" in that sentence.


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## loureed4

I see your point. Very interesting and helpful sound shift!! 

Thanks a lot!


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## Chasint

duvija said:


> ... I couldn't say 'I rushed backwards... '


...but you could say "I rushed back to him."


I don't see a problem. 'Forward' tells me that the rescuer was already facing in the right direction. Otherwise we would have to explain in more detail.

Examples

_He rushed across the bridge to stop her from throwing herself into the river._

_He rushed around the crowds of people to stop her from throwing herself into the river._

_He rushed in front of her to stop her from throwing herself into the river.
_
_He turned around and rushed toward her  to stop her from throwing herself into the river._ (for those that say 'toward' isn't sufficient to effect a rescue, I say we don't know whether he succeeded in stopping her. I'm sure the next sentence explains what the result was)

If I am told that he rushed forward, I know that his path was clear and all he had to do was travel in the direction he was already facing.


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## loureed4

Biffo, that was a real real good explanation, and I really appreciate the examples, they help me a lot, I love having examples, for it is a very good way to learn for me. It is the way I like the most, having some examples, if only 2 of them.

I feel really grateful, and you explain things quite accurately!

THANKS!!


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## Nipnip

In your example, "rushed forwards" means he rushed in the direction that he was already facing, as opposed to having to move sideways or backwards to save her. In the other examples, "to move forward" or to "go forward" have a more figurative meaning, they emphasize "evolution", positive things. The teacher could say that to make a point that you should hurry up and catch up with the programme.


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## loureed4

Perfectly understood, and perfectly explained Nipnip! , thanks a lot!

According to that, I could have written the following , I think: "He rushed upwards/downwards to stop her from throwing herself into the river" , couldn´t I?. If I got it right "forwards" means (in this case) "hacia adelante" , so, I put "upwards" meaning that he was in the ground floor and had to go up to save her.

Thanks a lot, I now understand it quite better!


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## Nipnip

loureed4 said:


> Perfectly understood, and perfectly explained Nipnip! , thanks a lot!
> Thanks a lot, I now understand it quite better!



It is possible, but it sounds a bit affected, sort of like if he was a projectile or missile, it would be a lot more natural to say: he rushed upstairs/downstairs to save her.


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## loureed4

So, in this context you can say "rush forward" but not "rush upwards/downwards/backwards/onwards..." ?

Thanks a lot!


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## Nipnip

loureed4 said:


> So, in this context you can say "rush forward" but not "rush upwards/downwards/backwards/onwards..." ?
> 
> Thanks a lot!



How can a person move upwards if not with the help of other devices? The same goes for downwards, in order to rush backwards you will need to walk backwards, so not a lot of rushing there. I could accept onwards, perhaps.


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## Jim2996

Lou,

Again, I'm thinking you need a English dictionary. I have one (actually several) and I still use it often (and my two _diccionarios_ are wearing out). If I glance at the meanings of _forward_ (as an adverb), I find:

1) Ahead. The sense of going in the direction that someone/something is pointed. _The train went forward.
_I can see your confusion with a sentence like _He ran forward_. It seems silly because forward is the only direction that people can run. But...

2)Toward the front or a point in the front (of something). If a teacher tells a student to come forward, what she means is to come to the front of the classroom. The direction that the student is facing is irrelevant. With your soldier being told to come forward I assume that they are standing in formation and there is some designated space between them and the commander. Maybe someone is getting a metal/award; maybe someone is volunteering. 
_He ran forward_ almost always means that he ran to the position in the front of something.

4) to a later time or date, toward the future
3) to an earlier time or date.
Do these seem contradictory? They are, don't use them together.
To look forward is to look at/imagine what the future might be. _I look forward to seeing you._ 
To move a (business) meeting forward is to make it sooner. _We need this done sooner—move the meeting forward!_

5)into view or prominence If you have any good ideas, please bring them forward.

Often it's just a matter of trying all the options.

So, how about "He rushed *forward *to stop her from throwing herself into the river"?
This can have two (three?) meanings, or some combination of them. 
1) _He rushed in the direction that he was facing._ This may seem silly, but it implies that it is a short distance, an arm's length or a dozen running-steps (leaps). For longer distances it _rushed _over_.
_2) _He rushed to the place he needs to be_ (maybe this is in front of her, maybe it is in front of a crowd of onlookers)
5) _All doers of good deeds, bring them forward; act and be seen.
_You can pick or mix these meanings as you like.


Did you notice that there is both _forward_ and _forward*s*_? There is no real difference in meaning.

One reason _forward_ is used more often than the other _-ward's _is that they all have a non-_ward_ version. They may not mean exactly the same, but it's usually close enough.
For _backward_, there is _back; _for _upward_, there is _up. _
With _forward, for_ has already been taken.

I hope this helps clear things up.


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## duvija

Question for Jim: Couldn't you use 'come forward' without implying physical movement? Isn't it enough to just raise your hand, so the teacher knows who did whatever? 
That would extend (metaphorically, of course) the meaning of the 'forward' word - to s'thing just in your mind.


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## k-in-sc

Yes, the same way "step up" can be purely figurative.


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## duvija

k-in-sc said:


> Yes, the same way "step up" can be purely figurative.



Thanks. So that's the behavior of those 'things'. (Lots of dissertations about Sp. and Eng. comparative ' spatial movement', etc.)


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## loureed4

Jim2996 said:


> Lou,
> 
> Again, I'm thinking you need a English dictionary. I have one (actually several) and I still use it often (and my two _diccionarios_ are wearing out). If I glance at the meanings of _forward_ (as an adverb), I find:
> 
> 1) Ahead. The sense of going in the direction that someone/something is pointed. _The train went forward.
> _I can see your confusion with a sentence like _He ran forward_. It seems silly because forward is the only direction that people can run. But...
> 
> 2)Toward the front or a point in the front (of something). If a teacher tells a student to come forward, what she means is to come to the front of the classroom. The direction that the student is facing is irrelevant. With your soldier being told to come forward I assume that they are standing in formation and there is some designated space between them and the commander. Maybe someone is getting a metal/award; maybe someone is volunteering.
> _He ran forward_ almost always means that he ran to the position in the front of something.
> 
> 4) to a later time or date, toward the future
> 3) to an earlier time or date.
> Do these seem contradictory? They are, don't use them together.
> To look forward is to look at/imagine what the future might be. _I look forward to seeing you._
> To move a (business) meeting forward is to make it sooner. _We need this done sooner—move the meeting forward!_
> 
> 5)into view or prominence If you have any good ideas, please bring them forward.
> 
> Often it's just a matter of trying all the options.
> 
> So, how about "He rushed *forward *to stop her from throwing herself into the river"?
> This can have two (three?) meanings, or some combination of them.
> 1) _He rushed in the direction that he was facing._ This may seem silly, but it implies that it is a short distance, an arm's length or a dozen running-steps (leaps). For longer distances it _rushed _over_.
> _2) _He rushed to the place he needs to be_ (maybe this is in front of her, maybe it is in front of a crowd of onlookers)
> 5) _All doers of good deeds, bring them forward; act and be seen.
> _You can pick or mix these meanings as you like.
> 
> 
> Did you notice that there is both _forward_ and _forward*s*_? There is no real difference in meaning.
> 
> One reason _forward_ is used more often than the other _-ward's _is that they all have a non-_ward_ version. They may not mean exactly the same, but it's usually close enough.
> For _backward_, there is _back; _for _upward_, there is _up. _
> With _forward, for_ has already been taken.
> 
> I hope this helps clear things up.




Thanks a lot Jim , as usual, for your incredible reply.

1. I agree, I need a dictionary, but there are quite a few of them on the internet. The problem is that sometimes you know a word, the meaning of a word, say, "forward", or you think you know it , but all of sudden a sentence comes to my mind and I think the sentence is awkward or it seems not appropriate, or the word has subtle nuances, and then I feel I don´t know the answer.

2. Quite interesting "forward" meaning "to an earlier time or date" , like: "Move the meeting forward", I didn´t know this meaning of "forward". The bad thing about such advances nuances (advances for a learner like me at least) is that I know I will forget about "Move the meeting forward" ("Adelantemos la reunión"), but again, I guess the only trick is reading, reading, and reading a lot, that is how I learn a lot, or watching movies (one daily). There are things quite difficult to retain unless I read them again and again.

3. Yes, I knew "upwards" and "upward", "onward/s", but now that you say that, I only knew "forward" but not "forwards". I thank you for this!. 

4. Actually, I sometimes thought that "up" is the sort way to say "upwards" when it refers to a movement: "He went up to hug his sister"  ; the same for "back/backwards, on/onwards, down/downwards" and so on.

5. Your replies are fill with so many nuances, they are, not complex but necessary to study them , I quite appreciate them indeed.


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