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I often see this phrase in movies and shows

I am trying to watch TV and it won't work.
The jar won't open; it is stuck.
The alarm won't go off (even though I am setting it up correctly).

My question is, do these expressions have the same meaning?

I am trying to watch TV and is not working.
The jar is not opening; it is stuck.
The alarm is not going off (even though I am setting it up correctly).

Which one is more correct to use?

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I am trying to watch the TV but it won't work.
I am trying to watch the TV but it is not working.

The two sentences mean the same thing. I added the to the TV because we are referring to the TV, not the act of watching it. Also and is OK, however but is a better conjunction since the two phrases oppose each other.

The jar won't open; it is stuck.
The jar is not opening; it is stuck.

The first phrase indicates that you tried to open it, and then made this statement.
The second phrase indicates you are in the process of trying to open it.

The alarm didn't go off, even though I am setting it up correctly.
The alarm is not going off, even though I am setting it up correctly.

In the first phrase, since the alarm going off is a point in time in the past, you should use didn't instead, since we don't know what will happen next time.
However, won't would be OK if you mean that the clock was broken or not working correctly in general.

In the second phrase, it would have to be ringing when you made the statement. Like you were trying to stop the ringing but it wouldn't stop.

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    There's nothing wrong with "The alarm won't go off": it means that the alarm does not ring when it is supposed to. You're not specifying the exact time it is or was supposed to ring: you're merely affirming a present state of brokenness. "The alarm is not going off" means that the alarm is supposed to be ringing right this minute, but it's not.
    – Martha
    Apr 2, 2013 at 18:52
  • +1, thanks for your answer. follow up question 'the jar was not opening' or 'the jar wont open' do they both mean the same thing?
    – Max
    Apr 2, 2013 at 20:00
  • @JoeDimaggio "The jar was not opening" means the jar is now open, if you don't say something similar to "The last time I tried to open it, the jar was not opening."
    – apaderno
    Apr 2, 2013 at 20:54
  • @kiamlaluno yes that is what I meant.
    – Max
    Apr 2, 2013 at 20:56
  • "the jar won't open" is just a statement of fact at the present time. I think "the jar was not opening" only refers to the state of the jar in the past. What happened after that is not specified. You could say "The jar was not opening, but then my brother was finally able to open it."
    – user485
    Apr 3, 2013 at 1:02

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