Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[lucy_ever]

hi, here i have one word that i can't understand very well, the sentence is below
Imagine their surpise and delight when they broke open the packing cases and found that the fourth engine was as sweet as honey.
i can catch the main idea ,but how can i express "broke open"? i guess here "broke" is used as an adj, but according to the grammar an adj is used to modify the meaning of a noun," open" is a verb,the more i thought the more confused me became, hoping for your answers, thanks a lot

[CP]

To break open is to open something up by breaking or cutting the package to get what is inside. You can break open an egg or a parcel sent by mail. In your case, they broke open the packing cases to get to the engines inside.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[lucy_ever]

thanks cp now i know how to use break open but i want to ask whether open is a verb or something else

[CP]

There are many better grammarians than I, but I would say that "break open" is a phrasal verb, like "break up" or "wipe out" or many others. So the words "break" and "open" operate together to make the verb of the specific meaning.

Check the phrasal verbs listed under "phrasal verbs" on the main page of ESL Cafe.

And please, Mary Ng or Mr. Micawber or Dr. Chepur and other good grammarians, put in your two cents' worth to help a guy out. (Two phrasal verbs there for the price of one.)
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb