[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.

[susan53]

"out of order" = completely dead /isn't working at all

"isn't working" could be It isn't working at all or It isn't working well/properly as in my example above : My hairdryer isn't working properly. It's producing very hot air, but when I try and turn the heat down nothing happens.

So they are sometimes interchangeable (when the machine isn't working at all) but not always (when it's only a partial problem).

[fface]

Hi susan,

Is it correct to say this:
'My watch broke down.'

Thank you very much.

[susan53]

Hmm.... depends. You might say it if it was a very hi-tech version, but for most ordinary "mechanical" versions My watch is broken would be more likely. As I said above, break down tends to be used with more complex machinery/technology - eg :

I have to repair our terrible photocopier, which breaks down about twice a week.

[fface]

Hi susan,

Does the 'broken' in 'my watch is broken' mean to separate into two or more pieces? Or it just means 'isn't working' ?

Can I say
'There's something wrong with my watch'
or
'My watch is out of order'?

Thanks a lot and Happy New Year!

[susan53]

It just means "not working". And the other two would be fine.
Happy New Year to you too