idiom / verb phrase · academic
turn a phrase
UK/tɜːn ə freɪz/US/tɜrn ə freɪz/PHRASE
speakingtask2
to express something in a particularly effective, clever, or memorable way
Examples
“The speechwriter can really turn a phrase; every paragraph sounded vivid.”
“She turns a phrase with such ease that interviews read like essays.”
“Journalists need to be able to turn a phrase under pressure.”
Band 8 sentence
“As a commentator, she can turn a phrase that captures the public mood in a single sentence.”
Collocations
- turn a phrase + well/cleverly/elegantly
- able to turn a phrase
Word family
turn a phrase verb phraseturned a phrase / turning a phrase verb phrase
Common mistakes
turn a sentence→turn a phrase
turn the phrase→turn a phrase
Say it for a higher band
5say nicely→6phrase well→7+turn a phrase
Synonyms
phrase well
express eloquently
Easily confused
coin a phrase
“He coined the term 'digital detox' in his editorial.”
Related words
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