RE: "Turn on the radio?"

[Scott Wahl <wahl_scott -at- yahoo -dot- ca>]

I've always been taught the following:

When you use phrasal (two-word) verbs like "turn on"
you should keep the two words together for these
reasons:

(1) It improves comprehension, especially for readers
for whom English is a second language.
(2) It simplifies translation.

The more interesting question is whether you should
use phrasal verbs at all.

An article in the last issue of _Technical
communication_ that looked at this issue. The move to
plain language typically means replacing Latin-derived
words with more common synonyms. Often, this means
using phrasal (two-word) verbs like "turn on". Yet
these phrasal verbs may actually be more difficult to
understsand for readers whose first language is not
English.

The article is "Plain English? A Study of Plain
English Vocabulary and International Audiences" by
Emily A. Thrush. _Technical communication_. August
2001, Vol. 48, No. 3.  

Scott

--
Scott Wahl
Senior Technical Writer
Research in Motion

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