RE: "Turn on the radio?"

Subject: RE: "Turn on the radio?"
From: "Susan W. Gallagher" <SGallagher -at- akonix -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 09:24:18 -0800

It's called a phrasal verb -- and I say that with authority because I've
just
finished reading a journal article on such things. The article speculates
whether phrasal verbs defy the goals of the plain English movement because,
while they generally consist of short anglo-saxon or germanic words, they
are
idomatic in nature -- their meaning cannot be determined by the meaning of
the individual words.

My gut feeling -- and this is all I can provide at the moment, my copy of
Chicago being at home while I'm at work -- says that anytime you have a
composite, such as a phrasal verb, you should try to keep it together. So
I'd go with "turn on the radio". But that's just me.

HTH!
-Sue Gallagher
sgallagher -at- akonix -dot- com


> -----Original Message-----
> From: amy -at- amyprobst -dot- com [mailto:amy -at- amyprobst -dot- com]

> May I have your guidance on a word-usage issue? I have my attractive
> Chicago Manual of Style sitting here next to me, but don't
> know what this
> kind of thing is "called."
>
> Two coworkers say this is correct:
> "Turn on the radio."
>
> I say it sounds better this way:
> "Turn the radio on."
>
> Think instructional manual, if that matters.

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