5 Uses of the Phrasal Verb "Break Down"
Jill In Brazil
Did you know that there are 5 meanings of the Phrasal Verb "Break Down"?
1) Emotional Breakdown... you know when you walk into your house and your girlfriend is crying and she cant tell you why. Dont worry it is just a temporary breakdown, a quick cry and we are good. :)
2) Break something down. Have you ever had a large box that is in the way? The act of taking it apart to make it flat is breaking it down.
3) Has your car ever broke down on the side of the road? Stopped working? My car broke down.
4) If someone has ever been committed to a mental hospital, they had a mental breakdown.
And Finally...
5) Have you ever been to an office party where someone maybe drank a little too much too early? They might get in the mood for dancing and when this happens they are "Breaking it down" or Breaking down on the dance floor.
Have a great day!
Search from various English teachers...
Corrections · 7
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5Five Uses of the Phrasal Verb "Break Down"
Jill In Brazil
Did you know that there are 5 five meanings of the phrasal verb "break down"?
1) Emotional breakdown... You know when you walk into your house and your girlfriend is crying and she can't tell you why? Dont worry. It is just a temporary breakdown, a quick cry and we are good. She is only breaking down temporarily. :)
2) Break something down. Have you ever had a large box that is in the way? The act of taking it apart to make it flat is breaking it down.
3) Has your car ever broken down on the side of the road? Stopped working? My car broke down.
4) If someone has ever been committed to a mental hospital, they had a mental breakdown. This is the same as number one.
And Finally...
5) Have you ever been to an office party where someone maybe drank a little too much, too early? They might get in the mood for dancing, and when this happens, they are "breaking it down" or breaking down on the dance floor. This usage is unfamiliar to me.
Have a great day!
Different from number two is the meaning of "decay". For example, leaves and grass break down into compost.
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Randy's corrections are useful. One and four are essentially the same: we could call it "mental/emotional breakdown." Also, breaking down in the sense of decaying is also important.
Unlike Randy, however, I am familiar with the fifth example, related to dancing. If someone had been dancing really intensely OR really well, you could say colloquially, "he was really breaking it down out there."
You could also refer to "a breakdown" (noun form) or "breaking it down" (verb form) in music (usually rock or jazz); this refers to a solo or other display of instrumental ability that occurs in the middle of a song.
Finally, a very important usage not covered in Jill's piece is the logical one. An argument on any topic (political, logical, mathematical) can be "broken down," which means analyzed. A "breakdown" of an argument is thus a step-by-step description and evaluation of its parts.
Hope that helps.
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