[fface]

Hi susan,

Thank you very much for your great and clear explanation.
What's the difference between 'there's something wrong with the phone.' and 'the phone is out of order'?

Thanks.

[susan53]

In most contexts they'd be interchangeable. However, "out of order" means not working at all, whereas "There's something wrong with..." could also mean that there was a problem but the phone was still usable :
There's something wrong with this phone. I can hardly hear the person at the other end.

And of course, "out of order" is only applicable to mechanical objects, whereas "There's something wrong with..." could be used in much wider contexts :

There's something wrong with this door - it's really difficult to close it.
There's something wrong with david - he hasn't said two words all day.

[fface]

Hi susan,

1)Is 'out of order' a permanent or temporary situation?

2) 'There's something wrong with...' can mean not working at all, right?

3)Is 'isn't working' or 'doesn't work' applicable to something like doors? Can I say:

The door isn't working, it's really difficult to close it.

The door doesn't work, we must get a new one instead.

Thank you very much for your help.

[susan53]

1. Generally temporary - it suggests that you're waiting for it to be repaired rather than that you need to replace it completely.

2. Either not at all or just not working well. Eg : My hairdryer isn't working properly. It's producing very hot air, but when I try and turn the heat down nothing happens.

3. No - it would only be used with mechanical or technological objects : The light isn't working - perhaps we need a new bulb but There's something wrong with the door - it doesn't close properly.

[fface]

Hi susan,

1. What kinds of things can 'be broken down' be used with?

2.'The phone is broken down' means it isn't working at all and needs to be repaired, right?

3. What's the subtle difference between 'the phone is out of order' and 'the phone is broken down'?

Thanks a lot.

[susan53]

First of all the grammar. It should be : The phone has broken down
To break down can only be used as an active verb - not passive. here, you're describing a past event with a present result - so you need the present perfect : auxiliary HAVE + past participle of the main verb.

As I said before Break down is used with mechanical and technological objects - the car has broken down / the computer has broken down - and means is not working at all.

But think about a telephone - if you can't make a telephone call, the problem is probably not with the telephone itself, but with the telephone line. So you'd say : The phone isn't working or The phone is out of order meaning there's something wrong somewhere. You couldn't say The phone has broken down because it's not a mechanical problem with the telephone itself.

[fface]

Hi susan,

In what situations would you use 'isn't working' rather than 'out of order' and vice versa? Are they always interchangeable?

Thank you very much.