RE: "Turn on the radio?"

[Martyn Perry <Martyn -dot- Perry -at- Sun -dot- COM>]

>Hmmm, I sort of disagree but like where you're going.
>
>As a coworker suggested, "turn on" in this context is not a phrasal verb.
>"On" modifies radio. A parallel would be "Set phasers to stun," the idea
>being that ON is a setting of the radio, not part of a two part verb.
>
>In this sense, "turn the radio on" seems perfectly acceptable.
>
>However, as one who has walked in multilingual circles for 13 years, I would
>avoid confusion by treating "turn on" as a phrasal. Context prevents
>confusion with the true phrasal "turn on" as in the sexual meaning.

I think that "turn on" is a phrasal verb, as you all are calling it.  If the 
"on" were "modifying on" it would either be an adjective because then "on" is in 
this case a noun or it would have to be a preposition governing "on."  Were 
either one of these cases true, then the phrase "Turn the radio on" would make 
no sense. Also, if "on" were a preposition in this case, then replacing "radio," 
its object with a pronoun would still make sense. I find, "Turn on it" passing 
strange when "it" means the radio, whereas "turn it on" still makes good sense.

Martyn


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