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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Turn on vs. Switch on
Turn on vs. Switch on
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Katiapulko
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Turn on vs. Switch on
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Hello, dear colleagues! I need your brains)) I �m not quite sure about the usage of two phrasals "turn on/off" and "switch on/off". Are they interchangeable? Or are there any peculiarities of their usage? And can we say "switch on the lamp"& or it would be better "switch on the light"? Thanks in advance.
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28 Nov 2011
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Apodo
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You can use turn on/off or switch on/off interchangeably for electrical appliances or lights.
For me a lamp is a type of light eg: a desk lamp, a bed lamp, or a standard lamp. They can be called lights, but I wouldn �t call the permanent light in the ceiling a lamp. |
28 Nov 2011
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Katiapulko
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Yep, I was asking about a desk lamp. Thanks for your answer. It �s just that I heard somewhere that TURN ON is used with turning knobs, like "turn on the gas, turn on the tap"... |
28 Nov 2011
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yanogator
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Very strictly speaking, what you heard is right. However, most people don �t make the distinction. I don �t use "switch on", and if I did, it would only be for things that have a switch rather than a knob. I would say "Switch on the light", but never "switch on the stove". It �s not a rule, though, just a practice.
Bruce |
28 Nov 2011
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