phrasal verb · formal
turn upon
UK/tɜːn əˈpɒn/US/tɝːn əˈpɑːn/turn u·PON
speakingtask2
to attack or criticize someone suddenly (often literary/formal)
Examples
“The evidence turned public opinion upon the corporation.”
“He turned upon his companions with unexpected anger.”
“The speech turned upon the government's failure to protect rights.”
Band 8 sentence
“In his final chapter, the author turns upon the complacency of those in power.”
Collocations
- turn upon someone
- turn upon the government
- be turned upon
Word family
turns upon verb (3rd sg)turned upon verb (past/p.p.)turning upon verb (gerund)
Common mistakes
turned on his friends→turned upon his friends
turned to his friends→turned upon his friends
Say it for a higher band
5attack→6criticize→7+turn upon
Synonyms
lash out at
attack
Easily confused
turn on
“The crowd turned on the protester when he insulted them.”
turn to
“After losing his job he turned to his family for support.”
Related words
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In turn …
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