Busca entre varios profesores de Inglés...
Sasha
Profesor profesionalWhy in this sentence "broke" is used instead of "broken": "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" ?
17 de feb. de 2013 22:38
Respuestas · 4
4
The phrase is incorrect by design, using very colloquial / rural dialect — if it were written with correct English, it would be "If it's not broken, don't fix it."
"Ain't" is also always incorrect.
25 de febrero de 2013
1
There's a lot going on with this phrase. The message being conveyed is that if something is getting the job done, then it can be left alone.
I've usually heard this phrase used when talking about a job that is complex, expensive, or tedious. Especially when getting something in perfect working order will not substantially improve the function. A car door with a dent in it might cost $1500 to fix, but it still locks and opens easily.
There's also a lot of meaning in the word 'broke'. Broke implies that something is unable to fulfill it's function. In our car door example, the door is damaged but still able to perform its function. I see this phrase used to drive home the point that damaged does not always need to be fixed.
Finally, take the phrase you're asking about. It's incorrect on a number of levels but because it is adequately conveying it's message it does not need to be fixed.
18 de febrero de 2013
1
It is talking about people trying to make things better, but ending up making them worse. If something is working OK, then leave it alone (don't try and fix something that is working perfectly)
it's also a bit of joke, Baroque is a style of antique, so ... if it ain't baroque, dont fix it. Baroque has almost the same pronunciation as broke.
18 de febrero de 2013
the sentence is not correct, either. it should be: "if it's not broken, don't fix it"
18 de febrero de 2013
¿No has encontrado las respuestas?
¡Escribe tus preguntas y deja que los hablantes nativos te ayuden!
Sasha
Competencias lingüísticas
Inglés, Francés, Ruso, Ucraniano
Idioma de aprendizaje
Inglés, Francés, Ruso, Ucraniano
Artículos que podrían gustarte

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
22 votos positivos · 17 Comentarios

How to Sound Confident in English (Even When You’re Nervous)
17 votos positivos · 12 Comentarios

Marketing Vocabulary and Phrases for Business English Learners
14 votos positivos · 6 Comentarios
Más artículos
