Turn on means to make a light, TV, tap or heating start working. In a second meaning, turn on someone means to suddenly attack a person or start criticising them harshly. In this meaning, on is followed by a person or an animal, not a device.
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turn on + light/TV/tap; turn + it/them + on; turn on + person (= attack)
- Could you turn on the air conditioning? It's really hot in the meeting room.
- I always turn the radio on while I'm cooking dinner.
- After the team lost again, the fans turned on the coach and demanded his resignation.
What changed
First versionCan you include the TV? The match starts in five minutes.
RevisionCan you turn on the TV? The match starts in five minutes.
Include means to make something part of a group or list: include a name in the list. It has nothing to do with making a device work. For a device or a light, English uses turn on or switch on, and for water, turn on.
For devices, turn on and switch on are almost synonyms: switch on the kettle. But you turn a tap, so it's turn on the tap, not switch on. To stop things, use the same pair: turn off or switch off.
Your turn
Our dog had always been calm and friendly, so nobody expected it to ___ the postman.
Show the answer
turn on — The dog had always been calm, and nobody expected it to attack, so turn on. Turn to means to turn to face someone or to go to someone for help, and there's nothing unexpected about that.
Describe your morning. Name the two devices you turn on first and what each one is for.
Every morning I first turn on the coffee machine to make an espresso, and then the radio to catch the news.
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