How to say that something has some technical problem and is therefore not working "Bus is not working" but that suggests the reason why the bus is not working.
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In your example I'd recommend inoperative [for technical reasons]. In everyday life, depending of the object:
More specifically, in IT for software:
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If don't want to communicate the fact that something is technically wrong (maybe it's your bus line, and a broken bus is admission of failure), you can use one of the following:
If you do want people to know something is definitely broken, you can use one of these phrases in addition to the ones Jay Elston has provided:
If your target audience is familiar with the context (buses, computers, tools, whatever it may be), it's often best to just briefly say what the actual problem is. If the target audience is the general public, "Out of Order" is probably the most typical. |
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Two phrases you may find useful to tell people that a piece of equipment cannot be used at the present time are:
or
Out of order implies the equipment is not functioning properly. Not in service is a more general phrase, and can be used situations where the equipment is not working, or it may be working but needs inspections of certifications before it can be used, or there are administrative reasons why the equipment cannot be used. For instance, a bus that is returning to the main bus terminal and not on a regular bus route can display "Not in service" as the name of its route. |
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