To ask for grammar help?

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

"How to avoid situations in which your working relationships breakdown."

"How to avoid situations in which your working relationships break down."

Which is correct please?

The second. You need the verb, not a noun.

Agree with ralph

"How to avoid situations in which your working relationships break down."

I don't really have a good enough grasp of grammar to properly explain why except that a 'breakdown' is sort of the after effect of things breaking down I guess. The term 'breakdown' very much refers to the act of a person having a mental breakdown - So a person might have a 'breakdown' as a result of their relationship breaking down but a relationship can't breakdown because it isn't a person.

I don't know. I don't think I explained that well, sorry I don't really have a good enough understanding of it myself but you want to use 'break down' anyway.

The noun breakdown (one word) means a failure to function, a collapse, or an analysis.

The verb phrase break down (two words) means to go out of order, cause a collapse, or separate into parts.

Then isn't breakdown correct in this context? A relationship fails to function and collapses.

It doesn't "go out of order"

It's nothing to do with the meaning, but to do with whether you need a verb (which takes the preposition 'down') or a noun.

In this case, you are using a verb.

A relationship can suffer a breakdown (noun) (suffer is the verb here).

OR

A relationship can break down (verb plus preposition - 'down' is where it has broken)

Your sentence has the same parts or ingredients as the second.

It's not about the definition of the word particularly, it's about the part of speech. And the part of speech you need is the verb (or, in this case, verbal phrase), which is break down.

The second example is correct. The first needs more added to the sentence. Breakdown should be given caps if used as a noun.

Then isn't breakdown correct in this context? A relationship fails to function and collapses.

No, because it's a noun.

It doesn't "go out of order"

It does. It ceases to function; Falls apart; Stops working properly.

Trust us, you want sentence #2

(Those two definitions are very similar in meaning apart from the noun/verb difference.)

Have you ever seen, in English, a piece of broken machinery or equipment with an "Out of Order" sign on it?

It means "not in working order".

Is that clearer?

You need a verb, not a noun. Breakdown is a noun, a thing. The correct option is number two.

And, YANeverBU to ask for grammar help! If only more people would! :o

The correct option is number two.

On the face of it the answer is 'break down', but if this is a specific scenario you shoukd check with whoever asked the question!

I actually don't like the sentence itself because it doesn't read well.

I'd change it to something more like: "How to avoid a breakdown of your working relationships"

Sky I agree.

The sentence in the op is inelegant and unnecessarily wordy. I much prefer your rendering.

What about 'Preserving good working relationships'?

I'd honestly change the sentence so that the meaning isn't ambiguous like sky suggested.

The meaning isn't ambiguous

The sentence isn't elegant, granted, but the meaning is quite clear.

On the face of it the answer is 'break down', but if this is a specific scenario you shoukd check with whoever asked the question!

Why?! She asked about grammar.

"How to avoid situations in which your working relationships breakdown."
cannot be and isn't a grammatically correct sentence.

"How to avoid situations in which your working relationships break down." is. (It contains a verb and has a clear meaning.)

So if the sentence was as Sky suggested, then it would be correct?

"How to avoid a breakdown of your working relationships."

Yes; Correct and more elegant.