What is the difference between breaking, malfunctioning, cracking, tearing, and breaking? | blog

What is the difference between breaking, malfunctioning, cracking, tearing, and breaking ?

Learn these meanings and how to use them properly, and try using them a lot in everyday conversation!

First, let's look at the correct example sentences and think about what's different.

Please pay attention to the noun before the verb.

 

Example 1: The chair broke!

Example 2: My car broke down and won't start.

Example 3: That cup is broken, so it's dangerous.

Example 4: Ah! The bag will tear and the contents will fall out!

Example 5: It seems that a tree broke due to yesterday's lightning.

 

[Break]

It can be used for various things such as chairs, desks, computers, etc.

This means that the item becomes unusable due to some kind of shock or because it becomes old.

for example…

① My computer broke, so please fix it.

② My ballpoint pen broke, so I have to buy a new one.

③ That chair is broken, so you can't use it.

 

【Break down】

The word ``break'' can be used for the same thing, but ``breakdown'' is used for cars, machinery, electrical appliances, etc. Also, it is generally used for relatively large items.

① My refrigerator is broken and I don't have any food right now.

② Huh? Did your car break down again?

③ It seems like my computer has broken down, but is the data inside safe?

For the above three, you can also use "break".

〇 My computer broke

〇 My computer broke down.

However, it is unnatural to use the word "break down" for something that is not a machine, so please refrain from using it.

〇 The chair broke.

× The chair is broken.

 

[Cracks]

Used for window glass, plates, cups, etc. This is when something hard breaks into pieces and falls apart.

① When I threw the ball, the neighbor's window broke.

② At my part-time job at a restaurant, I overturned a tray and broke three plates.

③ Glass cups can be dangerous if they break, so let your child use plastic cups.

 

【tear】

Use this when thin, soft items such as clothes, bags, and paper have holes or break into pieces.

① My pants pocket is torn and I can't put anything in it.

② Plastic bags tear easily, so make sure to use eco bags.

③ My textbook got torn because it got wet in the rain.

 

[Breakable]

A long, thin, straight object such as a tree, pencil, or umbrella that suddenly splits into two or becomes bent.

① The wind broke a lot of cherry blossom branches...

② This umbrella cannot be used because it is broken.

③ My pencil broke, but if I sharpen it with a pencil sharpener, I can still use it.

In example sentence ② above for "break", it says "the ballpoint pen will break."

Ballpoint pens are long and straight, so why do they break?

In fact, ballpoint pens can be used whether they are "breakable" or "breakable."

If it "breaks," it means that the ballpoint pen bends due to force or splits in two from the middle.

〇 I was so irritated that I threw my ballpoint pen on the floor and it broke.

However, ballpoint pens are made of hard plastic, so they don't break easily in everyday life.

If the spring or knock part (the part you push to eject the pen) in your ballpoint pen has stopped working, you should use "break".

〇 When I pressed the knock part of the ballpoint pen over and over again, it broke.

 

 

Well, today we learned how to use five verbs.

Let's try some practice questions to make sure you understand it properly.

I will write the answer to the question at the bottom of this blog.

 

Put the verb in the question (). Not necessarily in dictionary form.

① I fell down the stairs yesterday and broke a bone in my leg. It still hurts now.

② My bookshelf is ( ), so let's buy a new one at Ikeya.

③ The car window was closed. Someone might have stolen something in your car.

④ I'm sure this copy machine is in ( ). I can't change the paper size from A4 to B5.

⑤The shoji is ( ), so let's replace it with a new one at the end of the year.

*Shoji: Furniture that separates rooms, often found in traditional Japanese rooms. Curtains and doors made of paper.

 

 

How was it.

Have you mastered the meanings and usage of the words "break, malfunction, crack, tear, and break?"

It's interesting that the verbs used differ depending on what kind of noun they are used with and the state of the noun.

Also, the verbs I introduced are intransitive, so they are sentences that express the state of things.

If you want to describe an action you did, you must use the transitive verb ``break'' instead of ``break'', as in ``I broke the chair.''

Let's talk while paying attention to the use of intransitive and transitive verbs.

Please make use of the correct usage you learned today in your everyday conversations and compositions.

One month left until JLPT in December!

I want to pass this year! Many people may think so.

In November, let's get a good night's sleep and work hard to review the parts that we're weak at.

 

answer to question

① I fell down the stairs yesterday and broke a bone. It still hurts now.

② The bookshelf ( breaks ), so let's buy a new one at Ikeya.

③ The car window was ( broken ). Someone might have stolen something in your car.

④ This copy machine must be ( broken ). I can't change the paper size from A4 to B5.

⑤ The shoji is torn , so let's replace it with a new one at the end of the year.