VOA慢速英语2021--Should I Fix It or Repair It?

 

This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a request from Quang in Vietnam, who says:

Question:

It would be a big help if you could teach me the difference between "fix" and "repair." Thank you so much.

Answer:

Hello Quang,

My cell phone was not working yesterday. I tried to fix it but I was unable to. So, I took it to a shop to have it repaired.

The words "fix" and "repair" can be verbs or nouns¹. Today, I will focus mainly on the verbs. Both verbs mean to put something that is broken or damaged back into good condition. Often, we use "fix" and "repair" interchangeably, which means either word can be used.

But the verb "fix" is much more common in everyday speech. Generally, we use "repair" when we want to sound more formal. We can also use "repair" when someone with expertise² is doing the work.

For example, you can take your clothing, phone, computer, car or musical instrument to a shop to have it repaired. Or a person might come to your home to repair your air conditioner, refrigerator or something else. In each of these cases, the person doing the work is an expert at it.

However, even when we are talking about such repairs, we may still use the word "fix." For example, you can say, "The tailor fixed³ the zipper⁴ on my jeans" or "The repairman is fixing the refrigerator."

In other words, you can almost always use "fix," except in some cases.

Notice that I used the word "repairman." The word "repair" appears in some job titles, such as repairman, repairwoman, repairperson and repair technician⁵. We would not say "fixperson," for example. In addition, the word "repair" appears in the names of many shops that do such work.

One last thing to know: The verbs "fix" and "repair" can have other meanings. For example, when someone says they are fixing food or drink, it means they are preparing it.

And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.

Words in This Story

focus – v. a subject that is being discussed or studied

formal – adj. suitable for serious or official speech and writing

tailor – n. a person whose job is making, repairing, or altering⁶ clothing

zipper – n. a device⁷ on clothing and bags that is made of two rows of metal or plastic teeth and another piece that slides over the teeth to make them fit together

title – n. a word or name that describes a person's job in a company or organization

1 nouns   

n.名词；名词( noun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns. 法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Nouns join to form compounds. 名词和名词结合构成复合词。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

3 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

4 zipper   

n.拉链；v.拉上拉链

参考例句：

• The zipper is red.这条拉链是红色的。
• The zipper is a wonderful invention.拉链是个了不起的发明。

5 technician   

n.技术员，技师

参考例句：

• The technician is busy repairing the machine.技师正忙于修理那台机器。
• A skilled technician takes years to train.一个熟练的技师需要数年时间才能培训出来。

6 altering   

v.改变，更改( alter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The eighteenth century sought to refine upon Shakespeare by altering and adapting his plays. 18世纪，人们试图通过改编莎士比亚的作品来超过他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Without altering the selection, you then set the background color to black. 在没有改变选择的情况下，又将背景颜色设置成黑色。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。