EFP: to break down
UPDATED: 26 JUN 19
PHRASAL VERBS

to break down
  • Can be used in several different situations.  See the examples below.
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  • Most commonly used in referring to a machine that stops working.

EXAMPLES:   to break down 


  1. Has your car ever broken down at night on a country road?
     
    Yes.  But the road service company came quickly and towed me to a garage in the city.  CLICK & LISTEN.

  2. The Police had to break down the door to get into the apartment.

  3. The photocopy machine broke down this morning.

  4. I broke down and started crying when I heard that my best friend had been seriously injured in an auto accident.

  5. We broke down the sales numbers in order to better understand what the problem was.  

  6. You take a big problem and break it down into several smaller ones.

Where do I put the pronoun?

  1. break + pronoun + down  + 

    The spreadsheet is too complicated!

    Break it down into to several smaller ones.  

  2. break + down + pronoun   x