How to describe this situation in English? While I was taking a shower, the water was hot at first, then it turned cold, then it was hot again, then cold, and went on like this. Which of the follow

prettyautumn

How to describe this situation in English? While I was taking a shower, the water was hot at first, then it turned cold, then it was hot again, then cold, and went on like this. Which of the following sentences is better? Or any other expressions? "The water wasn't working well. It was hot, then cold, then hot, then cold, and went on like this." "The water wasn't functioning well. It was hot, the cold, then hot, then cold, and went on like this." "The temperature of the water wasn't stable. It was hot, then cold, then hot, then cold, and went on like this."

Sep 23, 2023 3:19 PM

Answers · 12

The temperature kept jumping and down.

September 23, 2023

All of your examples finish with ‘and went on like this’ That’s the weakest part of your sentence. It adds very little meaning. Without that, your initial description sounds very natural. It’s a little long for a busy adult to say. I’d summarize it with: There’s something wrong with the water temperature of the shower. It doesn’t stay hot. (Stating what I believe to be the general problem) Or … It didn’t stay hot. (Describing only what happened to me, without generalizing.)

September 23, 2023

This shower is driving me crazy! Hot, cold, hot, cold, I can't take it! How's that? :>)

September 23, 2023

One straightforward description would be "The water temperature kept fluctuating between hot to cold." To make it clear that the cycle kept repeating, "The water temperature kept fluctuating from hot to cold and back again." You could add "It never settled down" or "it never stabilized." There are many ways to say this. In fact, for a proficient English speaker, it is an opportunity for creativity.

September 23, 2023