Assess what can be repaired
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
Behind the display area, the students found a cabinet in disrepair: its hinges were loose, and two handles had disappeared during years without maintenance. Its sagging frame suggested a more general decrepitude, the serious deterioration of an object worn down by age and neglect. Still, the missing handles were a remediable problem. Rather than assume that every defect required the same response, Mina listed what could be corrected and what would need a separate assessment before the cabinet returned to use.
The workshop report used disrepair for the cabinet's poor condition resulting from neglected upkeep. It used decrepitude to convey the broader impression of serious deterioration, not simply the presence of one loose screw. Several students had called the whole project hopeless, but Mina pointed to a remediable defect that the team could address with the materials already available. Their discussion became more useful once they distinguished a description of the current condition from a judgment about whether improvement was possible.
Before you move on
Look away from the passage. Can you explain each focus word in your own words?
Original fictional passages for vocabulary practice.