Something's broken B1
When the thing falls apart in your hands and you're trying to work out what went wrong.
Describe the damage
come apart — break into piecesA: What happened to your bag?
B: It just came apart when I tried to pick it up.
break off — become detachedA: What happened to your headphones?
B: One of the ear pieces broke off when I dropped them.
break up — separate into smaller piecesA: How should we organize the project?
B: Let's break it up into smaller tasks.
Work out the cause
weak point — area that is not strongA: How did your interview go?
B: Pretty well, but they asked about my weak points and I had to be honest about my time management.
make out — see or understand with difficultyA: Can you read what that sign says?
B: Not really, I can't make it out from here.
The wonky chair
Ross: Careful with that chair — the leg's started to come apart.
Ellie: Yeah, I can see the joint's the weak point.
Ross: One of the screws broke off last week. Cheap thing.
Ellie: Bin it. Not worth the hassle.
Reading the small print
Nadia: Can you make out what this label says? My eyes are gone.
Joe: Barely. It's tiny. Says wash it cold, I think.
Nadia: Right, because last time it broke up in the machine.
Joe: Ah, that's why it came out in bits.