ENGLISH
REFERENCE

in turn

prep. phr..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

prep. phr.. you use this when one thing happens as a result of another, or when things happen one after the other in a sequence.

prep. phr.. a prepositional phrase used as a connector to indicate a sequential order or a causal relationship where one event triggers the next.


SIMPLE

The stress makes her tired, which in turn makes her more stressed.

CONTEXTUAL

Each student must present their project in turn until everyone in the class has finished.

COMPLEX

The drought led to a poor harvest, which in turn caused food prices to rise sharply across the entire region.

Usage

often placed after a relative clause or at the beginning of a sentence to show a chain reaction.

Teaching tip

distinguish between the 'sequential' meaning (one by one) and the 'causal' meaning (as a result); the causal use is very common in academic writing to show logical flow.

Pitfall

They spoke in turns.They spoke in turn.the phrase is a fixed singular idiom; 'in turns' is a common mistake by analogy with 'taking turns'.

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