AAAmerican Accent US

turn on

Separable

The object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: turn ON. Saying “TURN on” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

Link across the gap. The final /n/ of “turn” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “turn on” is said “tur-non”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.

2 meanings

  1. 1

    To switch a device or supply on.

    • “Can you turn on the TV please? The game is about to start.”
    • “Turn the heating on — it's freezing.”

    Similar: switch on

  2. 2

    To attack someone suddenly and unexpectedly.

    • “The crowd turned on him after the second mistake.”

    Similar: attack

The particle logic

on

Something starts running, keeps running, or sits on a surface.

Listen + practice

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More TURN phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

turn off

To switch a device or supply off.

turn into

To become something different.

turn down

To reject an offer or request.

turn up

To arrive, often unexpectedly or late.

turn out

To prove to be the case in the end.

turn over

To flip something so the other side is up.

turn around

To face or move in the opposite direction.

turn in

To submit work to someone in authority.

turn away

To refuse entry or help to someone.

turn on — meaning, examples & how to say it