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Break even is commonly used in economics to refer to the point where cost and revenue are equal. However, instead of using the long way of saying that

Firm X had reached the point of break even

is it possible to say

Firm X had broken even?

I realise that broke even is in common usage today, but somehow broken even just doesn't sound right. Is it correct or is there a better way of saying it?

hrishioa
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3 Answers3

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It is, but you don't need the hyphen.

Barrie England
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I think you could simply say "Firm X broke even." It would mean the same thing.

JLG
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  • +1. I would definitely say something like "I broke even last year," or "the goal is to at least break even." – Andrew Apr 08 '12 at 21:03
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    -1: Past perfect doesn't really "mean the same thing" as simple past tense. – FumbleFingers Apr 08 '12 at 21:16
  • @FumbleFingers: Can you please explain how in this instance they mean something different? – JLG Apr 08 '12 at 23:54
  • There's nothing special about the compound verb to break even making it unsuitable for past perfect. "Firm X had broken even for three years before it reported a small profit last year", for example. – FumbleFingers Apr 09 '12 at 02:17
  • Thank you. I didn't say that I think the past perfect is unsuitable, I just think the simple past is more concise in this instance. For the OP's shorter sentence with no timeframe given, do you think that "Firm X had broken even." differs in meaning from the sentence "Firm X broke even."? (I sincerely want to know this. And I also sincerely appreciate you explaining your vote.) – JLG Apr 09 '12 at 03:09
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Simple past: I broke even last year. No connection to present. Present perfect: I have broken even. Past but still has connection to present Past perfect: I had broken even until the crash in ... Completed before a time in the past.

Deon
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