phrasal verb · neutral
break the rules
/breɪk ðə ˈruːlz/break the RULES
to do something that is not allowed according to the rules
Examples
“If you break the rules, you will be punished.”
“Artists sometimes break the rules to create something original.”
“Students who break the rules of the exam will be disqualified.”
Band 8 sentence
“The board took action after the manager repeatedly broke the rules governing procurement.”
Collocations
- break the rules of the competition/exam
- intentionally break the rules
Word family
Common mistakes
break rules→break the rules
violate rules→violate the rules / break the rules
Say it for a higher band
5break rules→6violate rules→7+break the rules
Synonyms
violate the rules
disobey the rules
Easily confused
violate the rules
“The company was fined for violating the safety regulations.”
disobey the rules
“Children who disobey the rules at home may lose privileges.”
Related words
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