Break-it-to-somebody meaning in English
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Definition
(Try to) break it to her (gently): (Try to) give her the bad news (gently)
Examples
- "Assistant : I'm sorry to break this to you, Mr Marron, but in general plants don't respond well to being put in ovens."
Exercise 1
The woman at the store tells Jean "I'm sorry to break this to you". She could also have expressed this as:
The woman at the store tells Jean "I'm sorry to break this to you". She could also have expressed this as:
This isn't the best choice. To hang up the phone is to end a phone call, usually by putting the receiver down. This is unrelated to the expression "I'm sorry to break this to you".
This is the right answer here. When we "break (something) to someone", we tell them it. We usually use this phrase when telling someone bad news. Examples: "I'm sorry to break it to you, but you're not invited", "Break it to her gently: she won't be pleased to hear that you're having an affair".
This isn't the best choice. To "break something to someone" can be used to introduce any bad news, not just plant-related news!
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