# Light went <out?>



## Lun-14

Hi

My question is very simple...

I was sitting in my room, preparing for my test. Suddenly, light went *out*.

Why is "out" needed here? Can't we just say
"... light *went*."

Thanks a lot


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## lingobingo

A light comes on, then goes out.


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## Andygc

"*The *light went." "Really! Where did it go?"

In this context "went out" is a phrasal verb - the verb phrase has a meaning that differs from the normal meaning of the words it uses.
"He went out of the room." - He was in the room and then he went, and the direction he went was out of the room - not a phrasal verb.
"The light went out." - The light ceased to provide illumination, but it did not move, and it remained in the room - a phrasal verb.


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## Lun-14

Andygc said:


> "The light went out." - The light ceased to provide illumination, but it did not move, and it remained in the room - a phrasal verb.


It is confusing - if light didn't really move, they why use "out"?  What _specific_ meaning does "out" impart to the verb "went"?
Could you please clear this up?
Thanks very much


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## Lun-14

A: "The man went"
B: "Where did he go?"
A: "*Out* of the room"

A: "The light went."
B: "Where did it go?"
A: .............


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## VicNicSor

Lun-14 said:


> What _specific_ meaning does "out" impart to the verb "went"?





> OUT
> 6) (of a light or fire)
> so as to be extinguished or no longer burning
> _at ten o'clock the lights went out_


Oxford Dictionaries


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## Andygc

Lun-14 said:


> why use "out"?


Because of the meaning English attaches to the phrasal verb "go out". You might as well ask "Why use 'go/went'? The light doesn't move.". That has the same answer. The onset of illumination also uses a phrasal verb (post 2) "The light came on". Again, the light didn't move and it did not get 'on' anything.


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## lingobingo

Lun-14 said:


> A: "The man went"
> 
> A: "The light went."



These are two different things. "The light went out" doesn't mean that (like your man) it disappeared, left, departed. It means it changed from being *on* to being *off* (*out* is also used to mean a light is not on).

You can't just say switch the light or put the light — it has to be switch the light *on *or* off*, put the light *out*, etc.


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## PaulQ

Lun-14 said:


> It is confusing - if light didn't really move, then why use "out"?


Because of the following that VicNicSor provided in #6 above.


> OUT
> 6) (of a light or fire)
> so as to be extinguished or no longer burning
> _at ten o'clock the lights went out_


- out is an adjective denoting a certain state
_The fact that the fire did not move is irrelevant: there are a set of verbs in English that concern (i) movement and/or (ii) a change of state_.

To go appears in both categories:
I *go *to town -> Here "go" means "move towards". It is a verb of motion
The fruit *goes* bad -> Here "go" means "become; change". It is a verb of change of state. It is this meaning that appears in "The fire went out."

*Out *is used in the sense of (broadly) "absent."
A: "Where is John?"
B: "He is out. He will be back in five minutes."

A: "Where is John?"
B: "He is in. Shall I call him?"


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## Lun-14

PaulQ said:


> Because of the following that VicNicSor provided in #6 above.
> 
> - out is an adjective denoting a certain state
> _The fact that the fire did not move is irrelevant: there are a set of verbs in English that concern (i) movement and/or (ii) a change of state_.
> 
> To go appears in both categories:
> I *go *to town -> Here "go" means "move towards". It is a verb of motion
> The fruit *goes* bad -> Here "go" means "become; change". It is a verb of change of state. It is this meaning that appears in "The fire went out."
> 
> *Out *is used in the sense of (broadly) "absent."
> A: "Where is John?"
> B: "He is out. He will be back in five minutes."
> 
> A: "Where is John?"
> B: "He is in. Shall I call him?"


Thanks much, PaulQ.
Would simply saying "The light has gone" (without "out") be correct?


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## PaulQ

Lun-14 said:


> "The light has gone"


It is really important to have context. However, in general terms, "The light has gone" = "The bulb has burned out."


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## Florentia52

Lun-14 said:


> Would simply saying "The light has gone" (without "out") be correct?


We wouldn't say it in AE: regardless of verb tense, we would still use "out."

"The light has gone" could be used in a poetic context to refer to nightfall, or to indicate that a person has died, or that all the joy has gone from someone's life.


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## Lun-14

PaulQ said:


> It is really important to have context. However, in general terms, "The light has gone" = "The bulb has burned out."


By "The light has gone", I mean electricity/power has been cut off by the main source from where electricity comes to our homes/offices (i.e. powerhouse) OR it cuts off because of some problem in transformers (sometimes transformers burst producing some horrible sound).
Now, would you please let me know if " go" without "out" correct here?
Thanks


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## sdgraham

You are trying to mangle a set expression/idiom into something that it is not.

That almost never works and I recommend you don't pursue it.


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## PaulQ

Lun-14 said:


> By "The light has gone", I mean electricity/power has been cut off by the main source from where electricity comes to our homes/offices (i.e. powerhouse) OR it cuts off because of some problem in transformers (sometimes transformers burst producing some horrible sound).


*You *may mean that but nobody esle will understand that you mean that.


Lun-14 said:


> Now, would you please let me know if " go" without "out" correct here?





PaulQ said:


> However, in general terms, "The light has gone" = "The bulb has burned out."


If the context is not about domestic lighting, then 


Florentia52 said:


> "The light has gone" could be used in a poetic context to refer to nightfall, or to indicate that a person has died, or that all the joy has gone from someone's life.


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## Barque

Lun-14 said:


> By "The light has gone", I mean electricity/power has been cut off by the main source from where electricity comes to our homes/offices


You are, as you often do, trying to literally translate a Hindi expression into English. They are different languages and it doesn't always work.


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## dojibear

I don't see this in the comments above, and it is important:

In AE we never say "the light went out" meaning the room became dark. "Went out" is never used about *light *itself. Using the phrasal verb (2-word verb) that way is a mistake.

The phrase "the light*s* went out" means the *lamps *(the sources of light) all went out (stopped creating light). The word "light" is a common term for a lamp, a ceiling bulb, or any other appliance that creates light.

If "the *light *in my room went out" it is probably a burned-out bulb. If "the *lights *went out in my house" you probably lost electric service. If "the lights went out in the whole neighborhood" there is a severe electric problem affecting all houses. If the area affected is large enough, we call that a "blackout".


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## Lun-14

PaulQ said:


> It is really important to have context. However, in general terms, "The light has gone" = "The bulb has burned out."


Without "out", you would use "The light has gone" as meaning _The bulb has burned out_. But, with "out", what would you take the sentence "The light has gone *out*" to mean:

_The bulb has burned out._

OR

_Electricity/power has been cut off by the main source from where electricity comes to our homes/offices (i.e. powerhouse) OR it cuts off because of some problem in transformers (sometimes transformers burst producing some horrible sound).
_
Thanks


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## sdgraham

Either one --- or perhaps something else.

You're making far too much of a simple expression.


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## dojibear

Lun-14 said:


> what would you take the sentence "The light has gone *out*" to mean:
> 
> _The bulb has burned out._
> 
> OR
> 
> _Electricity/power has been cut off by the main source from where electricity comes to our homes/offices (i.e. powerhouse) OR it cuts off because of some problem in transformers (sometimes transformers burst producing some horrible sound)._



The sentence "The light has gone out" does not say *either* of those things. Those are both *causes* or *reasons why* the light went out. The sentence does not tell us why. For that, you have to add other sentences.


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## Lun-14

dojibear said:


> Those are both *causes* or *reasons why* the light went out.


If they are causes and reasons why the light went out, then why doesn't the sentence "The light has gone out" say either of those things?



dojibear said:


> The sentence "The light has gone out" *does not say either of those things.*


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## Hermione Golightly

"The light has gone out" means what it says - there is no more light. If for some reason we think there's been a general power cut, we say 'The power's gone' or something like that. If we can tell that the bulb has gone/blown then we say 'The bulb's gone'.
'Gone' is being used in slightly different ways.

These idioms have to be learnt. 'The light's gone out' and the opposite 'The light's come on'; 'Switch the light on' 'Switch the light out'. Learn and teach simple patterns.


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## Glenfarclas

Lun-14 said:


> If they are causes and reasons why the light went out, then why doesn't the sentence "The light has gone out" say either of those things?



For the same reason that "My hair is wet" doesn't mean "I just took a shower" or "It is raining and I don't have an umbrella."


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## dojibear

Lun-14 said:


> If they are causes and reasons why the light went out, then why doesn't the sentence "The light has gone out" say either of those things?



Because it doesn't say them. Do you think a 5-word sentence says *everything* about a topic? It does not.

A person may not know the reason. They just know the light (the lamp) has gone out (is not functioning properly).


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## Lun-14

I'm sure that when we say "The light has gone", we take "light" as meaning *the light bulb, *i.e. _The light bulb has gone. _(#11) But when we say "The light has gone *out*", what does "light" mean here - does it mean the light bulb or the light of the whole house /whole area where the house is located.

Could you please clear this up?


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## lingobingo

An example of when someone might say: The light has gone
Scenario: We're outdoors taking photos in natural light, but now it's late and the sun has set.
Here "the light" refers to daylight and means "the light" as opposed to "the dark".

If you are using "the light" to mean "the lamp" or some other artificial light source, you would say:
The light has gone out (or off) = the lamp has stopped working


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## Lun-14

lingobingo said:


> An example of when someone might say: The light has gone
> Scenario: We're outdoors taking photos in natural light, but now it's late and the sun has set.
> Here "the light" refers to daylight and means "the light" as opposed to "the dark".
> 
> If you are using "the light" to mean "the lamp" or some other artificial light source, you would say:
> The light has gone out (or off) = the lamp has stopped working


Thanks Lingobingo. 

_<-----New question removed by moderator  (Florentia52)----->_


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## Lun-14

lingobingo said:


> If you are using "the light" to mean "the lamp" or some other artificial light source, you would say:
> The light has gone out (or off) = the lamp has stopped working


Lingobingo, would you use "The *light* has gone out" to mean that the light of the whole house or the whole area (where the house is located) has gone out? -> this may be caused due to short circuit/bursting of the transformer or the stoppage of electricity/power by the powerhouse from where the light is coming to our homes/offices.

Note that here, by "light", I mean "power/electricity" coming to our homes/the whole area.


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## JulianStuart

Lun-14 said:


> Note that here, by "light", I mean "power/electricity" coming to our homes/the whole area.


That is not a wise thing to do - light does not mean power.  If you mean power/electricity, don’t use the word light.


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## lingobingo

Lun-14 said:


> Lingobingo, would you use "The *light* has gone out" to mean that the light of the whole house or the whole area (where the house is located) has gone out? Note that here, by "light", I mean "power/electricity" coming to our homes/the whole area.



Absolutely not. In my own home, I might say "the *lights* have gone out" if it was only the lighting circuit that wasn't working.

If it was a power cut, I'd say there's a power cut. How would I know it was a power cut? Because the *lights* would have gone out in the whole street.


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## sdgraham

Lun-14 said:


> Lingobingo, would you use "The *light* has gone out" to mean that the light of the whole house or the whole area (where the house is located) has gone out? -> this may be caused due to short circuit/bursting of the transformer or the stoppage of electricity/power by the powerhouse from where the light is coming to our homes/offices.
> 
> Note that here, by "light", I mean "power/electricity" coming to our homes/the whole area.


Repeating: No.

You are continually trying to put something into a fixed expression that doesn't exist.

Your question was answered nicely in posts 2 and 3.


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## Barque

Lun-14 said:


> Note that here, by "light", I mean "power/electricity" coming to our homes/the whole area.


< --- > 

I said this in #16 and I'm saying it again - you're trying to use Hindi expressions in English. I know the English word "light" is used in Hindi to mean "power" or "electricity" and "Light + [Hindi words for "is gone"] to mean there's been a power cut. But that doesn't work in English.

< --- > 

< Off-topic comments removed.  Cagey, moderator. >


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## Lun-14

JulianStuart said:


> That is not a wise thing to do - light does not mean power.  If you mean power/electricity, don’t use the word light.





lingobingo said:


> Absolutely not. In my own home, I might say "the *lights* have gone out" if it was only the lighting circuit that wasn't working.
> 
> If it was a power cut, I'd say there's a power cut. How would I know it was a power cut? Because the *lights* would have gone out in the whole street.





sdgraham said:


> No.





Barque said:


> you're trying to use Hindi expressions in English. I know the English word "light" is used in Hindi to mean "power" or "electricity" and "Light + [Hindi words for "is gone"] to mean there's been a power cut. But that doesn't work in English.



Thanks, all of you, very much. Now I understand.


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## MarcB

< Quote of deleted post removed.  Cagey, moderator >

 Fortunately our power doesn't go out very often. I have on occasion heard the lights went out, note lights not light. Probably because that is the first indication of a power outage. If I heard the light went out I would definitely think it meant one light or one light bulb. In the US I usually hear power outage rather than power cut. Cut the power is 1 of the ways we might request the power be turned off.


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## Roymalika

JulianStuart said:


> light does not mean power.


Hi, if I say "the light went out", what does here the word "light" refer to? Light of the house, the whole area or just the specific light bulb in the room?


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## Myridon

"The light" singular would be one specific light source known from the context.  A lamp, a ceiling fixture, a sconce, etc.
"The lights went out." generally means that the electricity failed in the entire house (if not the surrounding area).


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## JulianStuart

Roymalika said:


> Hi, if I say "the light went out", what does here the word "light" refer to? Light of the house, the whole area or just the specific light bulb in the room?


As usual, it depends on the context you select and the meaning you wish to convey - by using "the" you must have already referred to it, so you tell us which light you are referring to


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## Roymalika

JulianStuart said:


> As usual, it depends on the context you select and the meaning you wish to convey - by using "the" you must have already referred to it, so you tell us which light you are referring to


Please see the OP's context:
_I was sitting in my room, preparing for my test. Suddenly, a/the light went out._

I want "light" to mean the light of the whole area where I live.


JulianStuart said:


> light does not mean power. If you mean power/electricity, don’t use the word light.


I just don't understand this - if "light" doesn't mean power/electricity, then what does it mean? And how is power/electricity different from light?


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## heypresto

Roymalika said:


> _I was sitting in my room, preparing for my test. Suddenly, a/the light went out._
> 
> I want "light" to mean the light of the whole area where I live.


In which case ' . . . the light*s* went out.'  

Or, to make it clearer ' . . . there was a power cut.' (In BE at least).


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## Florentia52

I'm sure you are aware that not all light comes from electrically-powered sources.

If you are reading by candlelight,  or using a battery-powered light, it will not be affected if the power/electricity goes out.


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## JulianStuart

Roymalika said:


> I just don't understand this - if "light" doesn't mean power/electricity, then what does it mean? And how is power/electricity different from light?


Does Punjabi use the same word for light and electricity, perhaps?  For electric lights, it is the passage of electricity through the lamp that causes the production of light.  Once the light leaves the lamp (in the form of radiation or photons), on its way to your eyes, it is no longer electricity.


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## Roymalika

JulianStuart said:


> Does Punjabi use the same word for light and electricity, perhaps?


Yes.


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## JulianStuart

Roymalika said:


> Yes.


So you might say, in Punjabi, "A candle produces electricity when it's burning"?  I can see where that might be confusing


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## Roymalika

JulianStuart said:


> So you might say, in Punjabi, "A candle produces electricity when it's burning"?  I can see where that might be confusing


No, we don't say that. We use "light" to mean electricity/power only in the situation that's being discussed in this thread - power/electricity outage.


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## Myridon

In AmE, "light" singular never means "electricity", but "the lights" can be a reference to the power supply in the right context.  Losing power causes all the lights (plural) to go out (along with all the other electrical things).


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## dojibear

Roymalika said:


> We use "light" to mean electricity/power only in the situation that's being discussed in this thread - power/electricity outage.


We *always* use the uncountable noun "light" to mean the thing you see with, that is made by the sun (sunlight) and moon (moonlight) and candles and flashlights and gas lamps and electric lamps. We *never *use the uncountable noun "light" to mean electricity or electric power.

The countable noun "a light" is used to mean a source of light. In this context it is a light bulb, or a light bulb mounted in a lamp or on the ceiling, etc. We "turn on" or "turn off" electric power to that lamp or that ceiling "light fixture".


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## dojibear

"The light went out" means "one source of light" (a lamp) stopped emitting light. The light bulb could have failed, or the electric power to the lamp could have failed.

"The light*s* went out" means "all sources of light" stopped emitting light. That is probably *caused *by electric power failure, but it is not the same as electric power failure. It is only about light (the thing you see with).


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## Myridon

dojibear said:


> "The light*s* went out" means "all sources of light" stopped emitting light. That is probably *caused *by electric power failure, but it is not the same as electric power failure. It is only about light (the thing you see with).


While it could mean that a gust of wind blew out all your candles, it would be highly unusual for some sort of electrical problem that attacked only light sources. I suppose you might have all the lights and nothing else on one breaker and that breaker failed but that would be weird. I think it's safe to assume than in a home not lit by candles that all the electricity is out.


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## dojibear

English distinguishes between "light" and "electricity".
English distinguishes between "cause" and "effect".



Myridon said:


> I think it's safe to assume


As a reader, feel free to "assume" anything you want. That is not "the meaning" of a sentence written by someone else.


Myridon said:


> it would be highly unusual for some sort of electrical problem that attacked only light sources.


The sentence says nothing about non-light uses of electricity.


Myridon said:


> You might have all the lights and nothing else on one breaker and that breaker failed but that would be weird.


What "breaker"? In Pakistan? The sentence says nothing about a "breaker". Even in the US, not all homes have "breakers". 
They certainly didn't in 1980.


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## Roymalika

dojibear said:


> "The light went out" means "one source of light" (a lamp) stopped emitting light. The light bulb could have failed, or the electric power to the lamp could have failed.
> 
> "The light*s* went out" means "all sources of light" stopped emitting light. That is probably *caused *by electric power failure, but it is not the same as electric power failure. It is only about light (the thing you see with).


@dojibear may I please ask the difference between 1) "The lights went out" and 2) "the power/electricity went out"?


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## dojibear

Roymalika said:


> @dojibear may I please ask the difference between 1) "The lights went out" and 2) "the power/electricity went out"?


Sure. The difference is cause and effect. In English, those are different.

Effect: "The lights went out." (It became dark: there was no light in the room).
Cause #1: the electric service to this apartment failed (not "went out").
Cause #2: those pesky kids turned off the lights at the wall switch
Cause #3: the light bulb lighting the room burned out (failed)

How about another example:

Effect: The tree caught fire.
Cause #1: Lightning struck the tree, causing the tree to burn.
Cause #2: Someone poured petrol on the tree and lit a match, causing the tree to burn.
Cause #3: There was a forest fire, burning many trees, including this tree.


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## Roymalika

dojibear said:


> Sure. The difference is cause and effect. In English, those are different.
> 
> Effect: "The lights went out." (It became dark: there was no light in the room).
> Cause #1: the electric service to this apartment failed (not "went out").
> Cause #2: those pesky kids turned off the lights at the wall switch
> Cause #3: the light bulb lighting the room burned out (failed)


You mean to say that when power/electricity goes out, the lights go out as a result?


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## dojibear

Roymalika said:


> You mean to say that when power/electricity goes out, the lights go out as a result?


There might be other results. Anything that uses electricity to function stops functioning.


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## dojibear

Roymalika said:


> You mean to say that when power/electricity goes out


I did not say "when power/electricity goes out". That is your phrase.

To me "goes out" is not idiomatic for "electric service failure".

To me the phrase "power/electricity" is never used.


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## Roymalika

dojibear said:


> To me "goes out" is not idiomatic for "electric service failure".
> 
> To me the phrase "power/electricity" is never used.


Really?
I've just found some previous threads in whcih AE speakers have said that it's acceptable to use electricity being went off/out.
electricity went off 
I was watching TV and suddenly the electricity went out.


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## dojibear

Roymalika said:


> Really?


Really. 

I'm very exact. Each time you reply, you change what I said into something different. Apparently, you misunderstand what I say. That is not your fault or my fault. But it means I am not helping you. I use the wrong words.

Others use different words, so they can explain better than me.


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## Roymalika

dojibear said:


> To me "goes out" is not idiomatic for "electric service failure".


Can you explain what you meant here? I understood it to mean that "electricity *went* out" is not idiomatic.


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## Roymalika

dojibear said:


> Really.
> 
> I'm very exact. Each time you reply, you change what I said into something different. Apparently, you misunderstand what I say. That is not your fault or my fault. But it means I am not helping you. I use the wrong words.
> 
> Others use different words, so they can explain better than me.


I'm sorry for misunderstanding.


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## Florentia52

Roymalika said:


> may I please ask the difference between 1) "The lights went out" and 2) "the power/electricity went out"?


As folks have been trying to explain to you, lights are the source of illumination, and electricity is what makes them work. A light might go out because the bulb burned out, or because of a short in its wiring. Conversely, even if you have no lights on in your house, the electricity might still go out, and you wouldn’t be able to charge your mobile phone.

It’s similar to the difference between “The car’s engine stopped” and “I ran out of petrol.”


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## Myridon

dojibear said:


> I'm very exact. Each time you reply, you change what I said into something different. Apparently, you misunderstand what I say.


Right back at you.  If you start a general discussion of a word and I reply to it, you treat my reply as if it were specific to the original sentence.


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## Roxxxannne

"the lights went out" = at least two lamps and whatever produces light have stopped functioning.
(This recently happened to me.  The extension cord into which two lamps were plugged had been jostled and was not securely plugged into the wall socket.)
"the power/electricity went out" = no power is being delivered to the refrigerator, electric stove, electric heater, fan, lights, etc. and they are not functioning. (If this happened to me, it would likely be because a tree had come down in a storm and fallen on a power line somewhere, either right outside my house or miles away or anywhere in between.)


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