[mesmark]

Another good question from the English professor in Tokyo:

What's the difference in the usages of hurt, injure, and damage.

He hurt his leg.
He injured his leg.
He damaged his leg.

[mesmark]

On the spot

I said 'hurt' and 'injure' are comparable in usage, but 'injure' seems more serious than 'hurt'.

'Damage' is used for things that are unrepairable naturally.

She hurt her good leg trying to support an old injury.
- not so serious

She injured her good leg trying to support an old injury.
- sounds serious, like she'll have a difficult time for a while

She damaged her good leg trying to support an old injury.
- sounds serious an the problem won't heal or the effect is lasting

Context plays a big part. The usage changes if we're talking about feelings or inanimate objects.

[susan53]

Hi Mesmark -
I agree with you on hurt and injure to describe physical injury to people, as long as they're transitive verbs (used with an object). But in other more metaphorical contexts they're not always interchangeable : for example you can hurt someone's feelings but not injure them.
But only hurt can be used intransitively with the meaning cause pain : Don't worry - this won't hurt.

I don't agree with you on damage though. For me, damage is generally used with objects - the table was badly damaged in the fire. Used for people I would generally use it for organs of the body - His years of constant drinking had severely damaged his liver. - not for limbs. So I find your final example strange.

[mesmark]

Thanks, Susna53.