Meaning: The rain was falling in a soft and calm way on the roof.
Choice of Words: Fell is a verb describing the movement of the rain. Gently is an adverb describing how the rain fell. Roof is a noun describing the top part of a building.
Alternative Expressions
The rain was falling softly on the roof.
Meaning: This means the same as the first sentence, but it puts more emphasis on the fact that the rain was falling softly.
Choice of Words:The rain is the water that falls from the clouds. Was falling means to be dropping or coming down from a higher place. Softly means to move or fall in a smooth and gentle way. On means to be in a position touching the surface of something. Roof is the top part of a building that protects it from the weather.
It was raining gently on the roof.
Meaning: This means the same as the first two sentences, but it uses the impersonal pronoun "it" to refer to the rain.
Choice of Words:It refers to the rain. Was raining means to be falling or coming down from the clouds. Gently means to move or fall in a smooth and soft way. On means to be in a position touching the surface of something. Roof is the top part of a building that protects it from the weather.