Teacher Discussion Forums

I have an English professor who teaches in Tokyo. She comes to me once a week for conversation classes and to test whether I know what I'm doing. She comes every week with new questions. It's almost like a game.

This week's questions was:

What's he difference in the usages of hurt, injure, and damage:

Situation: A woman had hip surgery on her right leg 3 years ago. She needs to be admitted again for surgery on her left leg this time.

She hurt her good leg trying to support an old injury.
She injured her good leg trying to support an old injury.
She damaged her good leg trying to support an old injury.

Damage is normally used for inaminate objects.
Injure is normally used for animate objects (higher mammals?)
but you can be emotionally damaged but not emotionally injured.

On the spot

I said 'hurt' and 'injure' are comparable in usage, but 'injure' seems more serious than 'hurt'.

'Damage' is used for things that are unrepairable.

She hurt her good leg trying to support an old injury.
- not so serious

She injured her good leg trying to support an old injury.
- sounds serious, like she'll have a difficult time for a while

She damaged her good leg trying to support an old injury.
- sounds serious and the problem won't heal or the ill effect is lasting

Context plays a big part. The usage changes if we're talking about feelings or inanimate objects.

I told her to use the third example because the subject had injured her leg to the point of damaging her hip joint such that it required surgery.