Phrasal verb
turn out to be sth
Definition
phrasal verb. to be discovered to be something, especially when you did not expect it.
phrasal verb. to prove to be the case; to be revealed as having a particular quality or identity in the end.
Examples
“The movie turned out to be very boring.”
“The stranger I met at the airport turned out to be my new boss.”
“Although the initial data suggested a significant decline in sales, the final quarterly report turned out to be surprisingly positive.”
Examples
simple
“The movie turned out to be very boring.”
contextual
“The stranger I met at the airport turned out to be my new boss.”
complex
“Although the initial data suggested a significant decline in sales, the final quarterly report turned out to be surprisingly positive.”
Usage
often followed by an adjective or a noun phrase; can also be used with 'that' clauses.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'become' (which implies a change over time); 'turn out to be' implies a discovery of a truth that was already there but unknown.
Pitfall
He turned out being a spy.
He turned out to be a spy.
this phrasal verb requires the infinitive 'to be' rather than the gerund '-ing' form.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
turn + out + to + be + complement
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/turn-out-to-be-sth