Is the phrase, “the vending machine was broke” acceptable? The 2019 Stack Overflow Developer Survey Results Are In Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar Manara Planned maintenance scheduled April 17/18, 2019 at 00:00UTC (8:00pm US/Eastern)Tense to use for a past event that is still relevant at the present timeReasons for these two past perfect tensesWas or had beenWhat is the meaning & tense/verb phrase of: 'I had been away for almost five years'Sequence of tenses for facts irrelevant of the moment of speech`Ann (postpone) making the beds until she (do) the shopping'Do you use Got (Past Tense) instead of Have (Present Tense)?I was really young. “I don’t even remember what is about” vs “I don’t remember what it was about”finished; has been sitting; or had finished; sat;I AM/WAS the one who was breaking up the fight

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Is the phrase, “the vending machine was broke” acceptable?



The 2019 Stack Overflow Developer Survey Results Are In
Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar Manara
Planned maintenance scheduled April 17/18, 2019 at 00:00UTC (8:00pm US/Eastern)Tense to use for a past event that is still relevant at the present timeReasons for these two past perfect tensesWas or had beenWhat is the meaning & tense/verb phrase of: 'I had been away for almost five years'Sequence of tenses for facts irrelevant of the moment of speech`Ann (postpone) making the beds until she (do) the shopping'Do you use Got (Past Tense) instead of Have (Present Tense)?I was really young. “I don’t even remember what is about” vs “I don’t remember what it was about”finished; has been sitting; or had finished; sat;I AM/WAS the one who was breaking up the fight



.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;








3















Is the phrase, "the vending machine was broke" acceptable, or do we have to say "the vending machine was broken"?



It seems perfectly legal to say, "the vending machine was restocked"; both restocked and broke are past tenses (of restock and break, respectively), so I would think "broke" is correct too.










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    3















    Is the phrase, "the vending machine was broke" acceptable, or do we have to say "the vending machine was broken"?



    It seems perfectly legal to say, "the vending machine was restocked"; both restocked and broke are past tenses (of restock and break, respectively), so I would think "broke" is correct too.










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      3








      Is the phrase, "the vending machine was broke" acceptable, or do we have to say "the vending machine was broken"?



      It seems perfectly legal to say, "the vending machine was restocked"; both restocked and broke are past tenses (of restock and break, respectively), so I would think "broke" is correct too.










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      New contributor




      Ralph is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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      Is the phrase, "the vending machine was broke" acceptable, or do we have to say "the vending machine was broken"?



      It seems perfectly legal to say, "the vending machine was restocked"; both restocked and broke are past tenses (of restock and break, respectively), so I would think "broke" is correct too.







      tense






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      edited yesterday









      ColleenV

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          5 Answers
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          The word Broke is also used as an adjective meaning Without money; however, that meaning doesn't fit into the context of your sentence. Therefore, a past-participle (broken) would be correct to be used.




          The vending machine was broken.




          P.S. restock is a regular verb whose past and past-participle forms are the same (restocked). But break is an irregular verb whose past and past-participle forms are broke and broken respectively. Therefore, you can use restocked in your sentence which we would be being used as past-participle.



          Edit: There are many verbs which in their base-form are used as an adjective, eg;



          1. The airport is close at hand.

          2. The bridge is open to traffic.





          share|improve this answer




















          • 3





            It is not immedately clear whether "broke" doesn't fit the context: If it's a machine that gives change it could have run out of coins; in that case one could jokingly say "it's broke". Unfortunately the OP does not give us any context beyond the machine.

            – Peter A. Schneider
            yesterday












          • As a native English speaker, I wouldn't consider close (being near) to be the adjectival form of to close (to shut). They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling. (They may have some etymological connection, but that really doesn't make them related in the same way open (adj.) and to open are.)

            – R.M.
            yesterday











          • @R.M. "They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling." if there's any doubt: they are pronounced differently.

            – JimmyJames
            yesterday






          • 1





            @PeterA.Schneider I'm not a native but I wouldn't even consider calling a machine broke just like I wouldn't use the term wealthy. To be broke you need to not be able to resupply at all and it's only a company that owns the machine that can go into such state. The machine is just temporarily out of coins.

            – Ister
            19 hours ago


















          3















          The vending machine was broken.




          No: in your examples "restocked" is a past participle verb form, not a past tense one. In a passive construction, replacing it with the verb "break" requires the past participle "broken", not the past tense form "broke".



          Having said that, it is actually ambiguous here as to whether "broken" is a verb or an adjective, both of which have the same shape.



          As a verbal passive it describes an event (The vending machine was broken by the customer), but as an adjectival one it describes a state -- the state resulting from someone breaking the vending machine.






          share|improve this answer






























            2














            You are comparing these two sentences




            The vending machine was broken

            The vending machine was restocked




            The first one have got this structure:



            [SUBJECT] [VERB] [ADJECTIVE] - [The vending machine] [was] [broken]



            The second one have got this structure:

            [SUBJECT] [VERB - PASSIVE VOICE] - [The vending machine] [was restocked]



            You construct the passive voice with the verb to be followed by the past participle of the main verb, NOT with the past tense. Notice that there are irregular verbs, like break, whose past participle [broken] is different from its past tense [broke].



            broke (in your intended meaning, if you want it to mean "damaged") is not an adjective nor the past participle so you can not use it in that sentence.



            I think that




            The vending machine was broke [moneyless]




            is not idiomatic. Vending machines has got no money of their own to spare.



            You can say




            The vending machine has got no change, you have got to introduce the exact quantity.




            if you want to reflect that the vending machine is not going to return the difference between the selected item's price and the inserted money.






            share|improve this answer

























            • Broken can be either an adjective or a verb in that sentence (see BillJ's answer). Break can be an adjective and it normally means "moneyless".

              – userr2684291
              yesterday











            • @userr2684291 I don't think that "The vending machine is broke" (neither broken nor break, the words that you mentioned) meaning that the poor vending machine have got no money is idiomatic. Bill J has stated that is difficult to distinguish between adjective and verb with such a small context.

              – RubioRic
              yesterday











            • Er, that was a mistake – I meant to write "broke" instead of "break". I didn't express my opinion on the actual sentence, but on what you wrote. The point is, broken can be interpreted as an adjective and a verb in that sentence, and broke can be an adjective in general (with the mentioned meaning).

              – userr2684291
              yesterday












            • @userr2684291 I've edited my answer trying to express that is not broke [moneyless] what I mean, it's the non-existent broke [damaged?]. And I was addressing the context provided, my answer is context-related, I think that it's not fair that you express your opinion [-1?] without taking into account that context.

              – RubioRic
              yesterday












            • The machine was broken – in this sentence, broken can be interpreted as an adjective or as a verb. In your answer you provide one analysis. I suggested reading BillJ's answer where it's argued that there are two possible analyses.

              – userr2684291
              yesterday


















            2














            Please note: In AmE English, there is increasing use of:



            • The vending machine was broke. [instead of broken]

            • The man was bit by the dog. [instead of bitten]

            • The girl was took off the field by the coach. [instead of taken]

            Now, how do you want to sound?



            The standard grammar here is broken, bitten and taken off the field. This is the usage for passive sentences.



            The standard form uses the past participle here. For irregular verbs, that would be the "third form", as in bite, bit,bitten or take, took, taken for verbs with three forms. Of course,some only have two forms: find, found, found.
            - He was found by the people looking for him.



            If you do not use the standard form (by the way, people speak how they speak), your speech will be marked as (depending on whom is judging you): uneducated or regional or dialectal.



            If you were being interviewed for a fancy job, how you speak can make a big difference. If you come from a region where people often speak like that (for example, Texas or Alabama), you would still be expected to code switch and use standard English.



            "He was bit by the dog." is often considered the same type of speech as: "He don't do his work right". That would be using don't instead of doesn't in the third person singular of the present tense.



            So, to answer the question: It all depends on how you want to sound.






            share|improve this answer






























              0














              to be broken = to be damaged, to not (properly) work



              to be broke = to have no money (broke = adjective)



              BUT: we say about people to be broke, not about machines.



              So in your context, "broke" is definitely not an option.






              share|improve this answer


















              • 1





                "broke" in this context is decidedly 'lazy' usage, but common in spoken English in some areas.

                – Mike Brockington
                yesterday











              • I am not sure what you want to say. Will you please elaborate a little more? Thank you.

                – virolino
                yesterday






              • 1





                Using "broke" in this way is basically slang. It is generally used in a knowingly un-educated manner. The speaker usually knows that it isn't 'correct' English, but does so regardless - to sound cool and trendy if you like. I wouldn't quite go so far as to call it regional dialect, but some people might.

                – Mike Brockington
                yesterday











              • Ah, now I understand. This kind of "abuse" is probably encountered in all languages. But, personally, I would avoid explaining how a language can be used "lazy" :)

                – virolino
                20 hours ago












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              5 Answers
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              5 Answers
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              The word Broke is also used as an adjective meaning Without money; however, that meaning doesn't fit into the context of your sentence. Therefore, a past-participle (broken) would be correct to be used.




              The vending machine was broken.




              P.S. restock is a regular verb whose past and past-participle forms are the same (restocked). But break is an irregular verb whose past and past-participle forms are broke and broken respectively. Therefore, you can use restocked in your sentence which we would be being used as past-participle.



              Edit: There are many verbs which in their base-form are used as an adjective, eg;



              1. The airport is close at hand.

              2. The bridge is open to traffic.





              share|improve this answer




















              • 3





                It is not immedately clear whether "broke" doesn't fit the context: If it's a machine that gives change it could have run out of coins; in that case one could jokingly say "it's broke". Unfortunately the OP does not give us any context beyond the machine.

                – Peter A. Schneider
                yesterday












              • As a native English speaker, I wouldn't consider close (being near) to be the adjectival form of to close (to shut). They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling. (They may have some etymological connection, but that really doesn't make them related in the same way open (adj.) and to open are.)

                – R.M.
                yesterday











              • @R.M. "They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling." if there's any doubt: they are pronounced differently.

                – JimmyJames
                yesterday






              • 1





                @PeterA.Schneider I'm not a native but I wouldn't even consider calling a machine broke just like I wouldn't use the term wealthy. To be broke you need to not be able to resupply at all and it's only a company that owns the machine that can go into such state. The machine is just temporarily out of coins.

                – Ister
                19 hours ago















              5














              The word Broke is also used as an adjective meaning Without money; however, that meaning doesn't fit into the context of your sentence. Therefore, a past-participle (broken) would be correct to be used.




              The vending machine was broken.




              P.S. restock is a regular verb whose past and past-participle forms are the same (restocked). But break is an irregular verb whose past and past-participle forms are broke and broken respectively. Therefore, you can use restocked in your sentence which we would be being used as past-participle.



              Edit: There are many verbs which in their base-form are used as an adjective, eg;



              1. The airport is close at hand.

              2. The bridge is open to traffic.





              share|improve this answer




















              • 3





                It is not immedately clear whether "broke" doesn't fit the context: If it's a machine that gives change it could have run out of coins; in that case one could jokingly say "it's broke". Unfortunately the OP does not give us any context beyond the machine.

                – Peter A. Schneider
                yesterday












              • As a native English speaker, I wouldn't consider close (being near) to be the adjectival form of to close (to shut). They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling. (They may have some etymological connection, but that really doesn't make them related in the same way open (adj.) and to open are.)

                – R.M.
                yesterday











              • @R.M. "They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling." if there's any doubt: they are pronounced differently.

                – JimmyJames
                yesterday






              • 1





                @PeterA.Schneider I'm not a native but I wouldn't even consider calling a machine broke just like I wouldn't use the term wealthy. To be broke you need to not be able to resupply at all and it's only a company that owns the machine that can go into such state. The machine is just temporarily out of coins.

                – Ister
                19 hours ago













              5












              5








              5







              The word Broke is also used as an adjective meaning Without money; however, that meaning doesn't fit into the context of your sentence. Therefore, a past-participle (broken) would be correct to be used.




              The vending machine was broken.




              P.S. restock is a regular verb whose past and past-participle forms are the same (restocked). But break is an irregular verb whose past and past-participle forms are broke and broken respectively. Therefore, you can use restocked in your sentence which we would be being used as past-participle.



              Edit: There are many verbs which in their base-form are used as an adjective, eg;



              1. The airport is close at hand.

              2. The bridge is open to traffic.





              share|improve this answer















              The word Broke is also used as an adjective meaning Without money; however, that meaning doesn't fit into the context of your sentence. Therefore, a past-participle (broken) would be correct to be used.




              The vending machine was broken.




              P.S. restock is a regular verb whose past and past-participle forms are the same (restocked). But break is an irregular verb whose past and past-participle forms are broke and broken respectively. Therefore, you can use restocked in your sentence which we would be being used as past-participle.



              Edit: There are many verbs which in their base-form are used as an adjective, eg;



              1. The airport is close at hand.

              2. The bridge is open to traffic.






              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited yesterday

























              answered yesterday









              Zeeshan AliZeeshan Ali

              7171217




              7171217







              • 3





                It is not immedately clear whether "broke" doesn't fit the context: If it's a machine that gives change it could have run out of coins; in that case one could jokingly say "it's broke". Unfortunately the OP does not give us any context beyond the machine.

                – Peter A. Schneider
                yesterday












              • As a native English speaker, I wouldn't consider close (being near) to be the adjectival form of to close (to shut). They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling. (They may have some etymological connection, but that really doesn't make them related in the same way open (adj.) and to open are.)

                – R.M.
                yesterday











              • @R.M. "They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling." if there's any doubt: they are pronounced differently.

                – JimmyJames
                yesterday






              • 1





                @PeterA.Schneider I'm not a native but I wouldn't even consider calling a machine broke just like I wouldn't use the term wealthy. To be broke you need to not be able to resupply at all and it's only a company that owns the machine that can go into such state. The machine is just temporarily out of coins.

                – Ister
                19 hours ago












              • 3





                It is not immedately clear whether "broke" doesn't fit the context: If it's a machine that gives change it could have run out of coins; in that case one could jokingly say "it's broke". Unfortunately the OP does not give us any context beyond the machine.

                – Peter A. Schneider
                yesterday












              • As a native English speaker, I wouldn't consider close (being near) to be the adjectival form of to close (to shut). They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling. (They may have some etymological connection, but that really doesn't make them related in the same way open (adj.) and to open are.)

                – R.M.
                yesterday











              • @R.M. "They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling." if there's any doubt: they are pronounced differently.

                – JimmyJames
                yesterday






              • 1





                @PeterA.Schneider I'm not a native but I wouldn't even consider calling a machine broke just like I wouldn't use the term wealthy. To be broke you need to not be able to resupply at all and it's only a company that owns the machine that can go into such state. The machine is just temporarily out of coins.

                – Ister
                19 hours ago







              3




              3





              It is not immedately clear whether "broke" doesn't fit the context: If it's a machine that gives change it could have run out of coins; in that case one could jokingly say "it's broke". Unfortunately the OP does not give us any context beyond the machine.

              – Peter A. Schneider
              yesterday






              It is not immedately clear whether "broke" doesn't fit the context: If it's a machine that gives change it could have run out of coins; in that case one could jokingly say "it's broke". Unfortunately the OP does not give us any context beyond the machine.

              – Peter A. Schneider
              yesterday














              As a native English speaker, I wouldn't consider close (being near) to be the adjectival form of to close (to shut). They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling. (They may have some etymological connection, but that really doesn't make them related in the same way open (adj.) and to open are.)

              – R.M.
              yesterday





              As a native English speaker, I wouldn't consider close (being near) to be the adjectival form of to close (to shut). They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling. (They may have some etymological connection, but that really doesn't make them related in the same way open (adj.) and to open are.)

              – R.M.
              yesterday













              @R.M. "They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling." if there's any doubt: they are pronounced differently.

              – JimmyJames
              yesterday





              @R.M. "They're really two separate words which happen to share a spelling." if there's any doubt: they are pronounced differently.

              – JimmyJames
              yesterday




              1




              1





              @PeterA.Schneider I'm not a native but I wouldn't even consider calling a machine broke just like I wouldn't use the term wealthy. To be broke you need to not be able to resupply at all and it's only a company that owns the machine that can go into such state. The machine is just temporarily out of coins.

              – Ister
              19 hours ago





              @PeterA.Schneider I'm not a native but I wouldn't even consider calling a machine broke just like I wouldn't use the term wealthy. To be broke you need to not be able to resupply at all and it's only a company that owns the machine that can go into such state. The machine is just temporarily out of coins.

              – Ister
              19 hours ago













              3















              The vending machine was broken.




              No: in your examples "restocked" is a past participle verb form, not a past tense one. In a passive construction, replacing it with the verb "break" requires the past participle "broken", not the past tense form "broke".



              Having said that, it is actually ambiguous here as to whether "broken" is a verb or an adjective, both of which have the same shape.



              As a verbal passive it describes an event (The vending machine was broken by the customer), but as an adjectival one it describes a state -- the state resulting from someone breaking the vending machine.






              share|improve this answer



























                3















                The vending machine was broken.




                No: in your examples "restocked" is a past participle verb form, not a past tense one. In a passive construction, replacing it with the verb "break" requires the past participle "broken", not the past tense form "broke".



                Having said that, it is actually ambiguous here as to whether "broken" is a verb or an adjective, both of which have the same shape.



                As a verbal passive it describes an event (The vending machine was broken by the customer), but as an adjectival one it describes a state -- the state resulting from someone breaking the vending machine.






                share|improve this answer

























                  3












                  3








                  3








                  The vending machine was broken.




                  No: in your examples "restocked" is a past participle verb form, not a past tense one. In a passive construction, replacing it with the verb "break" requires the past participle "broken", not the past tense form "broke".



                  Having said that, it is actually ambiguous here as to whether "broken" is a verb or an adjective, both of which have the same shape.



                  As a verbal passive it describes an event (The vending machine was broken by the customer), but as an adjectival one it describes a state -- the state resulting from someone breaking the vending machine.






                  share|improve this answer














                  The vending machine was broken.




                  No: in your examples "restocked" is a past participle verb form, not a past tense one. In a passive construction, replacing it with the verb "break" requires the past participle "broken", not the past tense form "broke".



                  Having said that, it is actually ambiguous here as to whether "broken" is a verb or an adjective, both of which have the same shape.



                  As a verbal passive it describes an event (The vending machine was broken by the customer), but as an adjectival one it describes a state -- the state resulting from someone breaking the vending machine.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered yesterday









                  BillJBillJ

                  7,0141819




                  7,0141819





















                      2














                      You are comparing these two sentences




                      The vending machine was broken

                      The vending machine was restocked




                      The first one have got this structure:



                      [SUBJECT] [VERB] [ADJECTIVE] - [The vending machine] [was] [broken]



                      The second one have got this structure:

                      [SUBJECT] [VERB - PASSIVE VOICE] - [The vending machine] [was restocked]



                      You construct the passive voice with the verb to be followed by the past participle of the main verb, NOT with the past tense. Notice that there are irregular verbs, like break, whose past participle [broken] is different from its past tense [broke].



                      broke (in your intended meaning, if you want it to mean "damaged") is not an adjective nor the past participle so you can not use it in that sentence.



                      I think that




                      The vending machine was broke [moneyless]




                      is not idiomatic. Vending machines has got no money of their own to spare.



                      You can say




                      The vending machine has got no change, you have got to introduce the exact quantity.




                      if you want to reflect that the vending machine is not going to return the difference between the selected item's price and the inserted money.






                      share|improve this answer

























                      • Broken can be either an adjective or a verb in that sentence (see BillJ's answer). Break can be an adjective and it normally means "moneyless".

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday











                      • @userr2684291 I don't think that "The vending machine is broke" (neither broken nor break, the words that you mentioned) meaning that the poor vending machine have got no money is idiomatic. Bill J has stated that is difficult to distinguish between adjective and verb with such a small context.

                        – RubioRic
                        yesterday











                      • Er, that was a mistake – I meant to write "broke" instead of "break". I didn't express my opinion on the actual sentence, but on what you wrote. The point is, broken can be interpreted as an adjective and a verb in that sentence, and broke can be an adjective in general (with the mentioned meaning).

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday












                      • @userr2684291 I've edited my answer trying to express that is not broke [moneyless] what I mean, it's the non-existent broke [damaged?]. And I was addressing the context provided, my answer is context-related, I think that it's not fair that you express your opinion [-1?] without taking into account that context.

                        – RubioRic
                        yesterday












                      • The machine was broken – in this sentence, broken can be interpreted as an adjective or as a verb. In your answer you provide one analysis. I suggested reading BillJ's answer where it's argued that there are two possible analyses.

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday















                      2














                      You are comparing these two sentences




                      The vending machine was broken

                      The vending machine was restocked




                      The first one have got this structure:



                      [SUBJECT] [VERB] [ADJECTIVE] - [The vending machine] [was] [broken]



                      The second one have got this structure:

                      [SUBJECT] [VERB - PASSIVE VOICE] - [The vending machine] [was restocked]



                      You construct the passive voice with the verb to be followed by the past participle of the main verb, NOT with the past tense. Notice that there are irregular verbs, like break, whose past participle [broken] is different from its past tense [broke].



                      broke (in your intended meaning, if you want it to mean "damaged") is not an adjective nor the past participle so you can not use it in that sentence.



                      I think that




                      The vending machine was broke [moneyless]




                      is not idiomatic. Vending machines has got no money of their own to spare.



                      You can say




                      The vending machine has got no change, you have got to introduce the exact quantity.




                      if you want to reflect that the vending machine is not going to return the difference between the selected item's price and the inserted money.






                      share|improve this answer

























                      • Broken can be either an adjective or a verb in that sentence (see BillJ's answer). Break can be an adjective and it normally means "moneyless".

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday











                      • @userr2684291 I don't think that "The vending machine is broke" (neither broken nor break, the words that you mentioned) meaning that the poor vending machine have got no money is idiomatic. Bill J has stated that is difficult to distinguish between adjective and verb with such a small context.

                        – RubioRic
                        yesterday











                      • Er, that was a mistake – I meant to write "broke" instead of "break". I didn't express my opinion on the actual sentence, but on what you wrote. The point is, broken can be interpreted as an adjective and a verb in that sentence, and broke can be an adjective in general (with the mentioned meaning).

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday












                      • @userr2684291 I've edited my answer trying to express that is not broke [moneyless] what I mean, it's the non-existent broke [damaged?]. And I was addressing the context provided, my answer is context-related, I think that it's not fair that you express your opinion [-1?] without taking into account that context.

                        – RubioRic
                        yesterday












                      • The machine was broken – in this sentence, broken can be interpreted as an adjective or as a verb. In your answer you provide one analysis. I suggested reading BillJ's answer where it's argued that there are two possible analyses.

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday













                      2












                      2








                      2







                      You are comparing these two sentences




                      The vending machine was broken

                      The vending machine was restocked




                      The first one have got this structure:



                      [SUBJECT] [VERB] [ADJECTIVE] - [The vending machine] [was] [broken]



                      The second one have got this structure:

                      [SUBJECT] [VERB - PASSIVE VOICE] - [The vending machine] [was restocked]



                      You construct the passive voice with the verb to be followed by the past participle of the main verb, NOT with the past tense. Notice that there are irregular verbs, like break, whose past participle [broken] is different from its past tense [broke].



                      broke (in your intended meaning, if you want it to mean "damaged") is not an adjective nor the past participle so you can not use it in that sentence.



                      I think that




                      The vending machine was broke [moneyless]




                      is not idiomatic. Vending machines has got no money of their own to spare.



                      You can say




                      The vending machine has got no change, you have got to introduce the exact quantity.




                      if you want to reflect that the vending machine is not going to return the difference between the selected item's price and the inserted money.






                      share|improve this answer















                      You are comparing these two sentences




                      The vending machine was broken

                      The vending machine was restocked




                      The first one have got this structure:



                      [SUBJECT] [VERB] [ADJECTIVE] - [The vending machine] [was] [broken]



                      The second one have got this structure:

                      [SUBJECT] [VERB - PASSIVE VOICE] - [The vending machine] [was restocked]



                      You construct the passive voice with the verb to be followed by the past participle of the main verb, NOT with the past tense. Notice that there are irregular verbs, like break, whose past participle [broken] is different from its past tense [broke].



                      broke (in your intended meaning, if you want it to mean "damaged") is not an adjective nor the past participle so you can not use it in that sentence.



                      I think that




                      The vending machine was broke [moneyless]




                      is not idiomatic. Vending machines has got no money of their own to spare.



                      You can say




                      The vending machine has got no change, you have got to introduce the exact quantity.




                      if you want to reflect that the vending machine is not going to return the difference between the selected item's price and the inserted money.







                      share|improve this answer














                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer








                      edited yesterday

























                      answered yesterday









                      RubioRicRubioRic

                      5,35011337




                      5,35011337












                      • Broken can be either an adjective or a verb in that sentence (see BillJ's answer). Break can be an adjective and it normally means "moneyless".

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday











                      • @userr2684291 I don't think that "The vending machine is broke" (neither broken nor break, the words that you mentioned) meaning that the poor vending machine have got no money is idiomatic. Bill J has stated that is difficult to distinguish between adjective and verb with such a small context.

                        – RubioRic
                        yesterday











                      • Er, that was a mistake – I meant to write "broke" instead of "break". I didn't express my opinion on the actual sentence, but on what you wrote. The point is, broken can be interpreted as an adjective and a verb in that sentence, and broke can be an adjective in general (with the mentioned meaning).

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday












                      • @userr2684291 I've edited my answer trying to express that is not broke [moneyless] what I mean, it's the non-existent broke [damaged?]. And I was addressing the context provided, my answer is context-related, I think that it's not fair that you express your opinion [-1?] without taking into account that context.

                        – RubioRic
                        yesterday












                      • The machine was broken – in this sentence, broken can be interpreted as an adjective or as a verb. In your answer you provide one analysis. I suggested reading BillJ's answer where it's argued that there are two possible analyses.

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday

















                      • Broken can be either an adjective or a verb in that sentence (see BillJ's answer). Break can be an adjective and it normally means "moneyless".

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday











                      • @userr2684291 I don't think that "The vending machine is broke" (neither broken nor break, the words that you mentioned) meaning that the poor vending machine have got no money is idiomatic. Bill J has stated that is difficult to distinguish between adjective and verb with such a small context.

                        – RubioRic
                        yesterday











                      • Er, that was a mistake – I meant to write "broke" instead of "break". I didn't express my opinion on the actual sentence, but on what you wrote. The point is, broken can be interpreted as an adjective and a verb in that sentence, and broke can be an adjective in general (with the mentioned meaning).

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday












                      • @userr2684291 I've edited my answer trying to express that is not broke [moneyless] what I mean, it's the non-existent broke [damaged?]. And I was addressing the context provided, my answer is context-related, I think that it's not fair that you express your opinion [-1?] without taking into account that context.

                        – RubioRic
                        yesterday












                      • The machine was broken – in this sentence, broken can be interpreted as an adjective or as a verb. In your answer you provide one analysis. I suggested reading BillJ's answer where it's argued that there are two possible analyses.

                        – userr2684291
                        yesterday
















                      Broken can be either an adjective or a verb in that sentence (see BillJ's answer). Break can be an adjective and it normally means "moneyless".

                      – userr2684291
                      yesterday





                      Broken can be either an adjective or a verb in that sentence (see BillJ's answer). Break can be an adjective and it normally means "moneyless".

                      – userr2684291
                      yesterday













                      @userr2684291 I don't think that "The vending machine is broke" (neither broken nor break, the words that you mentioned) meaning that the poor vending machine have got no money is idiomatic. Bill J has stated that is difficult to distinguish between adjective and verb with such a small context.

                      – RubioRic
                      yesterday





                      @userr2684291 I don't think that "The vending machine is broke" (neither broken nor break, the words that you mentioned) meaning that the poor vending machine have got no money is idiomatic. Bill J has stated that is difficult to distinguish between adjective and verb with such a small context.

                      – RubioRic
                      yesterday













                      Er, that was a mistake – I meant to write "broke" instead of "break". I didn't express my opinion on the actual sentence, but on what you wrote. The point is, broken can be interpreted as an adjective and a verb in that sentence, and broke can be an adjective in general (with the mentioned meaning).

                      – userr2684291
                      yesterday






                      Er, that was a mistake – I meant to write "broke" instead of "break". I didn't express my opinion on the actual sentence, but on what you wrote. The point is, broken can be interpreted as an adjective and a verb in that sentence, and broke can be an adjective in general (with the mentioned meaning).

                      – userr2684291
                      yesterday














                      @userr2684291 I've edited my answer trying to express that is not broke [moneyless] what I mean, it's the non-existent broke [damaged?]. And I was addressing the context provided, my answer is context-related, I think that it's not fair that you express your opinion [-1?] without taking into account that context.

                      – RubioRic
                      yesterday






                      @userr2684291 I've edited my answer trying to express that is not broke [moneyless] what I mean, it's the non-existent broke [damaged?]. And I was addressing the context provided, my answer is context-related, I think that it's not fair that you express your opinion [-1?] without taking into account that context.

                      – RubioRic
                      yesterday














                      The machine was broken – in this sentence, broken can be interpreted as an adjective or as a verb. In your answer you provide one analysis. I suggested reading BillJ's answer where it's argued that there are two possible analyses.

                      – userr2684291
                      yesterday





                      The machine was broken – in this sentence, broken can be interpreted as an adjective or as a verb. In your answer you provide one analysis. I suggested reading BillJ's answer where it's argued that there are two possible analyses.

                      – userr2684291
                      yesterday











                      2














                      Please note: In AmE English, there is increasing use of:



                      • The vending machine was broke. [instead of broken]

                      • The man was bit by the dog. [instead of bitten]

                      • The girl was took off the field by the coach. [instead of taken]

                      Now, how do you want to sound?



                      The standard grammar here is broken, bitten and taken off the field. This is the usage for passive sentences.



                      The standard form uses the past participle here. For irregular verbs, that would be the "third form", as in bite, bit,bitten or take, took, taken for verbs with three forms. Of course,some only have two forms: find, found, found.
                      - He was found by the people looking for him.



                      If you do not use the standard form (by the way, people speak how they speak), your speech will be marked as (depending on whom is judging you): uneducated or regional or dialectal.



                      If you were being interviewed for a fancy job, how you speak can make a big difference. If you come from a region where people often speak like that (for example, Texas or Alabama), you would still be expected to code switch and use standard English.



                      "He was bit by the dog." is often considered the same type of speech as: "He don't do his work right". That would be using don't instead of doesn't in the third person singular of the present tense.



                      So, to answer the question: It all depends on how you want to sound.






                      share|improve this answer



























                        2














                        Please note: In AmE English, there is increasing use of:



                        • The vending machine was broke. [instead of broken]

                        • The man was bit by the dog. [instead of bitten]

                        • The girl was took off the field by the coach. [instead of taken]

                        Now, how do you want to sound?



                        The standard grammar here is broken, bitten and taken off the field. This is the usage for passive sentences.



                        The standard form uses the past participle here. For irregular verbs, that would be the "third form", as in bite, bit,bitten or take, took, taken for verbs with three forms. Of course,some only have two forms: find, found, found.
                        - He was found by the people looking for him.



                        If you do not use the standard form (by the way, people speak how they speak), your speech will be marked as (depending on whom is judging you): uneducated or regional or dialectal.



                        If you were being interviewed for a fancy job, how you speak can make a big difference. If you come from a region where people often speak like that (for example, Texas or Alabama), you would still be expected to code switch and use standard English.



                        "He was bit by the dog." is often considered the same type of speech as: "He don't do his work right". That would be using don't instead of doesn't in the third person singular of the present tense.



                        So, to answer the question: It all depends on how you want to sound.






                        share|improve this answer

























                          2












                          2








                          2







                          Please note: In AmE English, there is increasing use of:



                          • The vending machine was broke. [instead of broken]

                          • The man was bit by the dog. [instead of bitten]

                          • The girl was took off the field by the coach. [instead of taken]

                          Now, how do you want to sound?



                          The standard grammar here is broken, bitten and taken off the field. This is the usage for passive sentences.



                          The standard form uses the past participle here. For irregular verbs, that would be the "third form", as in bite, bit,bitten or take, took, taken for verbs with three forms. Of course,some only have two forms: find, found, found.
                          - He was found by the people looking for him.



                          If you do not use the standard form (by the way, people speak how they speak), your speech will be marked as (depending on whom is judging you): uneducated or regional or dialectal.



                          If you were being interviewed for a fancy job, how you speak can make a big difference. If you come from a region where people often speak like that (for example, Texas or Alabama), you would still be expected to code switch and use standard English.



                          "He was bit by the dog." is often considered the same type of speech as: "He don't do his work right". That would be using don't instead of doesn't in the third person singular of the present tense.



                          So, to answer the question: It all depends on how you want to sound.






                          share|improve this answer













                          Please note: In AmE English, there is increasing use of:



                          • The vending machine was broke. [instead of broken]

                          • The man was bit by the dog. [instead of bitten]

                          • The girl was took off the field by the coach. [instead of taken]

                          Now, how do you want to sound?



                          The standard grammar here is broken, bitten and taken off the field. This is the usage for passive sentences.



                          The standard form uses the past participle here. For irregular verbs, that would be the "third form", as in bite, bit,bitten or take, took, taken for verbs with three forms. Of course,some only have two forms: find, found, found.
                          - He was found by the people looking for him.



                          If you do not use the standard form (by the way, people speak how they speak), your speech will be marked as (depending on whom is judging you): uneducated or regional or dialectal.



                          If you were being interviewed for a fancy job, how you speak can make a big difference. If you come from a region where people often speak like that (for example, Texas or Alabama), you would still be expected to code switch and use standard English.



                          "He was bit by the dog." is often considered the same type of speech as: "He don't do his work right". That would be using don't instead of doesn't in the third person singular of the present tense.



                          So, to answer the question: It all depends on how you want to sound.







                          share|improve this answer












                          share|improve this answer



                          share|improve this answer










                          answered yesterday









                          LambieLambie

                          17.6k1540




                          17.6k1540





















                              0














                              to be broken = to be damaged, to not (properly) work



                              to be broke = to have no money (broke = adjective)



                              BUT: we say about people to be broke, not about machines.



                              So in your context, "broke" is definitely not an option.






                              share|improve this answer


















                              • 1





                                "broke" in this context is decidedly 'lazy' usage, but common in spoken English in some areas.

                                – Mike Brockington
                                yesterday











                              • I am not sure what you want to say. Will you please elaborate a little more? Thank you.

                                – virolino
                                yesterday






                              • 1





                                Using "broke" in this way is basically slang. It is generally used in a knowingly un-educated manner. The speaker usually knows that it isn't 'correct' English, but does so regardless - to sound cool and trendy if you like. I wouldn't quite go so far as to call it regional dialect, but some people might.

                                – Mike Brockington
                                yesterday











                              • Ah, now I understand. This kind of "abuse" is probably encountered in all languages. But, personally, I would avoid explaining how a language can be used "lazy" :)

                                – virolino
                                20 hours ago
















                              0














                              to be broken = to be damaged, to not (properly) work



                              to be broke = to have no money (broke = adjective)



                              BUT: we say about people to be broke, not about machines.



                              So in your context, "broke" is definitely not an option.






                              share|improve this answer


















                              • 1





                                "broke" in this context is decidedly 'lazy' usage, but common in spoken English in some areas.

                                – Mike Brockington
                                yesterday











                              • I am not sure what you want to say. Will you please elaborate a little more? Thank you.

                                – virolino
                                yesterday






                              • 1





                                Using "broke" in this way is basically slang. It is generally used in a knowingly un-educated manner. The speaker usually knows that it isn't 'correct' English, but does so regardless - to sound cool and trendy if you like. I wouldn't quite go so far as to call it regional dialect, but some people might.

                                – Mike Brockington
                                yesterday











                              • Ah, now I understand. This kind of "abuse" is probably encountered in all languages. But, personally, I would avoid explaining how a language can be used "lazy" :)

                                – virolino
                                20 hours ago














                              0












                              0








                              0







                              to be broken = to be damaged, to not (properly) work



                              to be broke = to have no money (broke = adjective)



                              BUT: we say about people to be broke, not about machines.



                              So in your context, "broke" is definitely not an option.






                              share|improve this answer













                              to be broken = to be damaged, to not (properly) work



                              to be broke = to have no money (broke = adjective)



                              BUT: we say about people to be broke, not about machines.



                              So in your context, "broke" is definitely not an option.







                              share|improve this answer












                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer










                              answered yesterday









                              virolinovirolino

                              3,8211734




                              3,8211734







                              • 1





                                "broke" in this context is decidedly 'lazy' usage, but common in spoken English in some areas.

                                – Mike Brockington
                                yesterday











                              • I am not sure what you want to say. Will you please elaborate a little more? Thank you.

                                – virolino
                                yesterday






                              • 1





                                Using "broke" in this way is basically slang. It is generally used in a knowingly un-educated manner. The speaker usually knows that it isn't 'correct' English, but does so regardless - to sound cool and trendy if you like. I wouldn't quite go so far as to call it regional dialect, but some people might.

                                – Mike Brockington
                                yesterday











                              • Ah, now I understand. This kind of "abuse" is probably encountered in all languages. But, personally, I would avoid explaining how a language can be used "lazy" :)

                                – virolino
                                20 hours ago













                              • 1





                                "broke" in this context is decidedly 'lazy' usage, but common in spoken English in some areas.

                                – Mike Brockington
                                yesterday











                              • I am not sure what you want to say. Will you please elaborate a little more? Thank you.

                                – virolino
                                yesterday






                              • 1





                                Using "broke" in this way is basically slang. It is generally used in a knowingly un-educated manner. The speaker usually knows that it isn't 'correct' English, but does so regardless - to sound cool and trendy if you like. I wouldn't quite go so far as to call it regional dialect, but some people might.

                                – Mike Brockington
                                yesterday











                              • Ah, now I understand. This kind of "abuse" is probably encountered in all languages. But, personally, I would avoid explaining how a language can be used "lazy" :)

                                – virolino
                                20 hours ago








                              1




                              1





                              "broke" in this context is decidedly 'lazy' usage, but common in spoken English in some areas.

                              – Mike Brockington
                              yesterday





                              "broke" in this context is decidedly 'lazy' usage, but common in spoken English in some areas.

                              – Mike Brockington
                              yesterday













                              I am not sure what you want to say. Will you please elaborate a little more? Thank you.

                              – virolino
                              yesterday





                              I am not sure what you want to say. Will you please elaborate a little more? Thank you.

                              – virolino
                              yesterday




                              1




                              1





                              Using "broke" in this way is basically slang. It is generally used in a knowingly un-educated manner. The speaker usually knows that it isn't 'correct' English, but does so regardless - to sound cool and trendy if you like. I wouldn't quite go so far as to call it regional dialect, but some people might.

                              – Mike Brockington
                              yesterday





                              Using "broke" in this way is basically slang. It is generally used in a knowingly un-educated manner. The speaker usually knows that it isn't 'correct' English, but does so regardless - to sound cool and trendy if you like. I wouldn't quite go so far as to call it regional dialect, but some people might.

                              – Mike Brockington
                              yesterday













                              Ah, now I understand. This kind of "abuse" is probably encountered in all languages. But, personally, I would avoid explaining how a language can be used "lazy" :)

                              – virolino
                              20 hours ago






                              Ah, now I understand. This kind of "abuse" is probably encountered in all languages. But, personally, I would avoid explaining how a language can be used "lazy" :)

                              – virolino
                              20 hours ago











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                              Ralph is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.











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