The verb 'turn' alone means to change direction or rotate. 'Turn left at the lights.' 'Turn the page.' But when 'turn' combines with a particle, it makes phrasal verbs with very different meanings. 'Turn on' (start a device / attract). 'Turn off' (stop a device / disgust). 'Turn up' (arrive / increase volume). 'Turn down' (refuse / decrease volume). 'Turn out' (end up, prove to be / attend in numbers). 'Turn into' (become). 'Turn around' (face the opposite way / improve). 'Turn back' (go back). Each is its own fixed expression. Many have multiple meanings — turn on, turn off, turn up, turn down all have device meanings AND other idiomatic meanings. Students need to learn each phrasal verb and watch context for the meaning. Tenth in the verb-root phrasal verb series after get, put, take, come/go, look, make, and topic-based lessons.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
DEVICES:
turn on the light (= start the light)
turn off the television (= stop the TV)
turn up the music (= increase the volume)
turn down the heat (= decrease the temperature)
OTHER MEANINGS:
turn on (= attract, interest)
The smell of bread turns me on. (= I find it appealing)
turn off (= disgust, lose interest)
The rude waiter turned me off. (= made me lose interest)
Why do these phrasal verbs have multiple meanings?
Turn on, turn off, turn up, turn down all started as device-related phrasal verbs (control switches and dials). Over time they extended to other meanings. Turn on for switching on a device extended to 'turning on' someone's interest or attention. Turn off similarly extended to losing interest. The basic image — flipping a switch — works metaphorically for emotions and reactions. Students who know only the device meanings can use these in basic situations but miss the wider uses. The metaphorical meanings are common in everyday English. Context tells which meaning is intended. 'Turn on the light' (device). 'The film really turned me on' (interest). The grammatical context also helps — turn on with an object that is a thing usually means device; with a person, often means attract or interest.
TURN UP:
1. INCREASE volume/temperature: Turn up the radio.
2. ARRIVE (sometimes unexpectedly): My old friend turned up at the party.
3. APPEAR (after being lost): The keys finally turned up under the sofa.
TURN DOWN:
1. DECREASE volume/temperature: Turn down the music — it is loud.
2. REFUSE an offer or invitation: She turned down the job offer.
3. REJECT a proposal: He turned down my idea without explanation.
What is the connection between the meanings?
Turn up has three common meanings, all related to coming into view or higher level. The device meaning (increase volume) is moving the dial up — increasing intensity. The arrival meaning (turn up at a party) uses the image of appearing or coming into view — like increasing presence. The lost-and-found meaning (the keys turned up) similarly uses appearing into view. Turn down has two main meanings — decreasing intensity (volume, temperature) and refusing (offers, proposals). The connection: refusing something is like turning down the offer's potential — reducing it. Both turn up and turn down are highly productive and appear in many contexts. Students need to know all the meanings and use context to choose. The arrival meaning of 'turn up' is particularly useful — 'guests started to turn up around six' or 'old friends turned up at the wedding'.
TURN OUT:
1. END UP, PROVE TO BE (result):
The film turned out to be excellent.
It all turned out fine in the end.
2. ATTEND IN NUMBERS:
Hundreds of people turned out for the protest.
The weather was bad, so few people turned out for the meeting.
TURN INTO:
1. BECOME (transformation):
The caterpillar turned into a butterfly.
The small problem turned into a big issue.
The friendship turned into a romance.
Why are these so useful?
'Turn out' has two important meanings. The result meaning ('it turned out fine') is for describing how things ended — covered also in narrative expressions (#94). The attendance meaning ('hundreds turned out') is for describing how many people came to an event. 'Turn into' is for transformation — one thing becoming another. Common in stories (caterpillar to butterfly), problems (small to big), relationships (friendship to romance). 'Turn into' takes a noun — what something becomes. 'It turned into chaos' (became chaos). 'They turned into close friends' (became friends). These three phrasal verbs (turn out for result, turn out for attendance, turn into for transformation) are all common in everyday English and writing. Students who know them describe processes and outcomes naturally.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| turn on | 1. Start device / 2. Attract, interest | Turn on the light. / The smell turns me on. | Two meanings — device and emotional. |
| turn off | 1. Stop device / 2. Disgust, lose interest | Turn off the TV. / The rude man turned me off. | Two meanings — device and emotional. |
| turn up | 1. Increase volume/heat / 2. Arrive / 3. Appear after being lost | Turn up the music. / He turned up late. / The keys turned up. | Three meanings — context decides. |
| turn down | 1. Decrease volume/heat / 2. Refuse, reject | Turn down the music. / She turned down the job. | Two meanings — control and refusal. |
| turn out | 1. End up, prove to be / 2. Attend in numbers | It turned out fine. / Hundreds turned out for the protest. | Two meanings — result and attendance. |
| turn into | Become, transform into | The friendship turned into love. | Takes a noun — what something becomes. |
| turn around | 1. Face the other way / 2. Improve dramatically | Turn around to see me. / The company turned around. | Two meanings — direction and improvement. |
| turn back | Go back, retreat | It started raining, so we turned back. | Going back the way you came. |
| turn over | 1. Flip / 2. Hand over (formal) | Turn over the page. / Turn over the documents to the police. | Two meanings — physical flip and giving. |
NOTE 1 — Multiple meanings of turn phrasal verbs: Many turn phrasal verbs have multiple meanings — turn on (device / attract), turn off (device / disgust), turn up (volume / arrive / appear), turn down (volume / refuse), turn out (result / attendance). Context tells which.
NOTE 2 — Turn down for refusing: 'Turn down' is the standard phrasal verb for refusing an offer, proposal, or job. 'She turned down the job offer.' 'He turned down the invitation.' Different from saying 'no' — implies a formal refusal of something offered.
NOTE 3 — Turn up arrival vs lost-and-found: 'Turn up' for arrival — 'My friend turned up late.' 'Turn up' for lost items appearing — 'My missing keys turned up.' Both use the same chunk; context tells which.
NOTE 4 — Turn out attendance: 'Turn out for X' is for events with measurable attendance. 'Hundreds turned out for the rally.' 'Few people turned out due to rain.' Common in news and event reporting.
NOTE 5 — Turn into for transformation: 'Turn into + noun' is for becoming. 'The caterpillar turned into a butterfly.' 'The friendship turned into a romance.' The 'into' is essential — turn alone does not have this meaning.
Turn phrasal verbs are highly productive and appear constantly in English. Students who learn the multiple meanings can read and produce many sentences. The grammar matters — turn on / turn off / turn up / turn down can split with object pronouns ('turn it on'), 'turn into' takes a noun, 'turn out' has different patterns for different meanings. Tenth in the verb-root phrasal verb series. Connects to other phrasal verb lessons (get, put, take, come/go, look, make).
Drill the multiple meanings of each turn phrasal verb separately. For turn on: device first, then attract. For turn up: volume, then arrival, then lost-and-found. For turn down: volume, then refusal. Use context cues — turn on a light (device), turn on someone (attraction). Real examples make the multiple meanings memorable.
Choose the correct turn phrasal verb for each situation.
Each sentence has a problem with a turn phrasal verb. Suggest a better version and explain.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — Turn alone vs turn with particles (4 min): Write 'turn' on the board. Ask students what turn alone means (change direction, rotate). Then add particles: turn on, turn off, turn up, turn down, turn out, turn into. Show that each combination has its own meaning, often multiple meanings.
STEP 2 — Turn on / off / up / down — devices (5 min): Drill the device meanings. Turn on the light. Turn off the TV. Turn up the music. Turn down the heat. Establish the basic device pattern. These are the most common and basic uses.
STEP 3 — Turn on / off — emotional (5 min): Add the emotional meanings. Turn on (attract, interest). Turn off (disgust, lose interest). Show that the device chunks extended to emotions. Practise five examples of each meaning.
STEP 4 — Turn up / down — multiple meanings (8 min): Drill the multiple meanings. Turn up: increase volume, arrive, appear. Turn down: decrease volume, refuse offer. Match each to a context. Note that turn down for refusing is one of the most common business uses.
STEP 5 — Turn out and turn into (8 min): Drill these two. Turn out: result (it turned out fine), attendance (hundreds turned out). Turn into: become (caterpillar turned into butterfly). These are highly productive and appear in many contexts.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
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