Phrasal verb
turn sth on
Definition
phrasal verb. to make a machine, light, or device start working by pressing a button or moving a switch.
phrasal verb. to activate an electrical or mechanical device by operating a switch, valve, or control mechanism.
Examples
“Can you turn the lights on?”
“It was getting dark, so she decided to turn the heating on and close the curtains.”
“The technician had to turn the primary server on before the rest of the network could be synchronized.”
Examples
simple
“Can you turn the lights on?”
contextual
“It was getting dark, so she decided to turn the heating on and close the curtains.”
complex
“The technician had to turn the primary server on before the rest of the network could be synchronized.”
Usage
commonly used with appliances, lights, engines, and electronic devices.
Teaching tip
this is a separable phrasal verb; emphasize that if the object is a pronoun like 'it', it must go between 'turn' and 'on'.
Pitfall
Turn on it.
Turn it on.
when the object is a pronoun, it must be placed between the verb and the particle.
Phrasal verb
Particles
on
Separability
optional
Pattern
turn + object + on
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/turn-sth-on