break into
π Pronunciation
/breΙͺk ΛΙͺntuΛ/
Stress: primary stress on particle
stress shifts to 'break' in continuous forms
π¨βπ©βπ§βπ¦ Word Family
| Word Class | Forms |
|---|---|
| Verbs | break into, breaks into, breaking into, broke into, broken into |
| Nouns | break-in |
| Adjectives | broken-into |
Related to simple 'break in' but with different usage patterns
π Phrasal Verb Structure
Base verb: breakParticle: into
Transitivity: transitive
π Meanings
Meaning 1
enter a building or vehicle by force, typically to steal
Formal equivalent: burglarize, force entry
LITERAL
“Thieves broke into the jewelry store.”
“Someone broke into my car last night.”
“The house was broken into while we were away.”
Meaning 2
suddenly start doing something, especially laughing, crying, or singing
Formal equivalent: begin suddenly, commence
ABSTRACT
“She broke into tears when she heard the news.”
“The audience broke into applause.”
“He broke into song during his speech.”
Meaning 3
enter a new field or profession, often with effort
Formal equivalent: establish oneself in
ABSTRACT
“She's trying to break into journalism.”
“It's hard to break into the music industry.”
“Many actors struggle to break into Hollywood.”
β οΈ Separability Rules
Rule: INSEPARABLE
Pronoun Placement
β break into it
β break it into
π‘ Think of it Like This
Think of physically breaking through a barrier to enter a space
Memory aid: Visualize breaking through a door to get INTO something
Often associated with crime in literal sense, but positive in career context
π Usage Patterns
Grammatical Contexts
Imperative: “Don't break into that house!”
Continuous: “Someone is breaking into the car!”
Perfect: “They have broken into three houses this week”
Passive: “The safe was broken into last night”
Modal: “They might break into the building”
Question: “Who broke into the office?”
Negative: “Nobody broke into the house”
Common in:
β οΈ Common Errors
β They broke the house intoββ They broke into the house
Attempting to separate an inseparable phrasal verb
Common for: Languages with different word order
High impact
β break in the houseββ break into the house
Confusion between 'break in' and 'break into'
β break to the music industryββ break into the music industry
Wrong preposition choice
π Register & Alternatives
Formality: neutral
Single-verb alternatives
Formal: burglarize, enter forcibly, commence
Neutral: enter, start, begin
Informal: bust into
Use phrasal verb: everyday speech, news reports, informal writing
Use single verb: formal legal documents, academic writing
π Etymology
Origin: Combination of 'break' (Old English 'brecan') and 'into'