wear out vs. be worn out

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jokaec1

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For example,

1) My shoes wore out. My shoes have been worn out.

Are they both correct? If so, what is the difference and which one is more common?

2) My patience began to wear out. My patience began to be worn out.

Are they both correct? If so, what is the difference and which one is more common?
 

teechar

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tedmc

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I think "have been worn out" and "to be worn out" are not only unnatural but are wrong.
Wearing out is a natural process. Both phrases imply something or somebody caused the wearing out, which does not make sense.
 

Rover_KE

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That is incorrect, Ted.

"Have been worn out" and "to be worn out" are just fine in the right context.
 

tedmc

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That is incorrect, Ted.

"Have been worn out" and "to be worn out" are just fine in the right context.
The contexts have been given by OP.
Could you give examples of context where the phrases can be used?
 

Matthew Wai

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'My shoes have been worn out for a long time, but I am still unwilling to throw them away.'
'My patience is going to be worn out by your annoying questions.'

Not a teacher.
 
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emsr2d2

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In BrE, we generally say "My patience is/was wearing thin".
 

mawes12

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Isn't that the same as "waste" or "use"?
 

Matthew Wai

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I think "have been worn out" and "to be worn out" are not only unnatural but are wrong.
Wearing out is a natural process. Both phrases imply something or somebody caused the wearing out, which does not make sense.
I think 'worn out' could be used as an adjective and 'wearing out' could have a cause, so both phrases could be right, but I am not a teacher.
 

Matthew Wai

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I think you should give complete sentences using your suggested words, but I am not a teacher.
 

mawes12

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I think you should give complete sentences using your suggested words, but I am not a teacher.

Try to replace it with the sentence that are already given if you can.
 

Tdol

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Isn't that the same as "waste" or "use"?

If you're asking about patience wearing thin, I would say it isn't the same- the idea is like the sole of a shoe that is getting thin and you can start to feel the ground distinctly, and if your patience is wearing thin, it's like a flimsy sole and you can feel your temper breaking through your self-control.
 

mawes12

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If you're asking about patience wearing thin, I would say it isn't the same- the idea is like the sole of a shoe that is getting thin and you can start to feel the ground distinctly, and if your patience is wearing thin, it's like a flimsy sole and you can feel your temper breaking through your self-control.

I meant "wear out".
 

Matthew Wai

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That's why I suggested that you give complete sentences, which could have avoided misunderstanding.

Not a teacher.
 

mawes12

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For example,

My shoes wore out. My shoes have been worn out.

My patience began to wear out. My patience began to be worn out.

I'm going to replace the words.

My shoes 'wasted' or 'used'. My shoes have been 'wasted' or 'used'.

My patience began to 'waste' or 'use'. My patience began to be 'wasted' or 'used'.

Maybe 'decay'/'destroy'/'rot' are better words.

Not a teacher.
 
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Matthew Wai

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My shoes have been 'wasted'
I take it to mean something like 'My shoes have been wasted because I have seldom worn them', but I am not a teacher.
 

Eckaslike

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"I'm going to replace the words.

My shoes 'wasted' or 'used'. My shoes have been 'wasted' or 'used'.

My patience began to 'waste' or 'use'. My patience began to be 'wasted' or 'used'.

Maybe 'decay'/'destroy'/'rot' are better words."


Matthew's use of waste sounds closer to the mark. However, we would probably say: "My shoes were a waste, because I seldom wore them.".

"My patience began to wear thin" and "My patience began to wear out" are more like idioms, or fixed phrases in English. The concept is in the whole sentence, rather than in the individual words. Therefore, trying to replace, "wear thin" or "wear out", with similar words in a sentence to do with patience will never really work.

To me, "My shoes have been wasted" does not work, and actually sounds like American slang for killing.
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(i.e. literally, "My shoes have been shot by someone". It may of course be fine in AmE, but I don't know that).


"Maybe 'decay'/'destroy'/'rot' are better words."

Unfortunately, not to me. In BrE these words would more likely to be used with things like, fruit, trees, leaves, houses, chairs and other physical objects. You might say, "my shoes and socks rotted". But you would then probably need to explain why, because it would seem odd. Although, I suppose not so strange if you live in an area of high humidity.

"Wear out": means "they have been used so much they are starting to fall apart", it doesn't mean that they have rotted, which is different and usually implies water has been involved. "Wear", here, carries the sense of "abrasion", which is usually caused by dry rubbing. This is why it works with shoes and "rot" does not. The soles of the shoes are wearing out because they have been rubbed so many times on the ground by walking in them.

I don't think we would ever use 'decay'/'destroy'/'rot' in relation to non-physical items, or concepts, like: "patience", "love", "harmony", or "emotion", unless you were being very poetic! For example; "My emotion has rotted, oh woe is me!" sounds, very, very, strange.
 
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Matthew Wai

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A small advice to Eckaslike: I think you can simply click on 'Reply With Quote' instead of copying and pasting the post, but I am not a teacher.
 
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