does"rode" mean "he went down by the elevator?"
Charles Givens rode downstairs and discovered that he couldn't close the west elevator's gate. The elevator wasn't there. It was stuck upstairs somewhere. Givens strolled away, thinking no more about it. It is his recollection that the time was 11:55 A.M.

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yes. the word rode here signifies he rode the elevator downstairs. Its a little confusing, I guess there were more than one elevator.

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'Rode' is past tense for 'ride'. 'Ride' is a verb that refers to travelling by being pulled along. Ex. I can ride a car, horse, elevator, plane, rollercoaster etc.

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