Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[yffjcn]

I saw two sentences :

The peace talks between the two countries have broken down .
Their marriage broke up at last.

(is it right to say : The peace talks between the two countries have broken up . Their marriage broke down at last)

and : what 's the differences between "break up"and "break down"

Thank you !!!

[2006]

These two phrases have several different uses and a good dictionary will list them for you. (for example, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate dictionary)

One of the main definitions of "break down" is 'to fail and come to a halt', as in peace talks and other negotiations.

"break up" means 'to separate or to come apart', as in a man and a woman who were previously together, or other associations such as a large company breaking up into several small companies.
Also, in the spring, the ice in frozen lakes and rivers breaks up.

I wouldn't say that peace talks have broken up except if you mean that one large group of people has broken up into several smaller groups, and the negotiations will continue within the small groups.

I wouldn't say that 'the marriage broke up', although that is said. I think it is better to say that the couple broke up.
'The marriage broke down.' (=failed)
'The couple broke up.' (= separated, parted).