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Johnleo

#519950 Wed, 28 May 08 09:41 AM

hi, guys.

What does it mean here in the sentence?

This is a very fast moving, very suspenseful movie, and it turns really on the ethical dilemmas facing Sorowitsch.

turn on: "to begin to display, employ, or exude"

In this sense, it means the movie shows the audience the dilemmas facing Sorowitsch.

Is that right?

Thanks.

Johnleo

Joined on Wed, Nov 15 2006

China

Junior Member (70)

Clive

#519991 Wed, 28 May 08 12:44 PM

Hi,

What does it mean here in the sentence?

This is a very fast moving, very suspenseful movie, and it turns really on the ethical dilemmas facing Sorowitsch.

turn on: "to begin to display, employ, or exude" No. This is not the correct defintion for this example. If a movie 'turns on X' like this, it means that the movie focuses on X, that X is the central point of the movie.

In this sense, it means the movie shows the audience the dilemmas facing Sorowitsch. Yes, they are the centre, the heart, of the movie.

Best wishes, Clive

Is that right?

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Veteran Member (21,081)

El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

Delmobile

#520301 Thu, 29 May 08 03:34 AM

I think of "turn on" in this context being like a wheel turning on its axle. The whole thing turns on one central point.

Delmobile

Joined on Wed, Jan 2 2008

Mobile, AL, USA

Regular Member (532)

Johnleo

#520473 Thu, 29 May 08 12:45 PM

So in fact it is not a verbal phrase: turn on sth. It's a collocation of vi.+prep+n. It's more or less like centre around/on sth.

Thank you, guys.

Johnleo

Delmobile

#520708 Fri, 30 May 08 01:15 AM

Yes.

Knowing that the success of his first date with Barbara would turn on the quality of the HBO's late night lineup, David grabbed the remote to turn on the TV, closing his eyes in a moment of silent prayer. When he opened them again, the TV was showing the opening scenes of "An Inconvenient Truth," the most boring movie ever made. He groaned in dismay. But Barbara was already stretched out on the sofa. She said, "Oooh, Al Gore! Documentaries are such a turn-on for me!" Stretching out both arms invitingly, she added, "Don't you want to watch it with me?"

"I'll be there in a minute," David said. "I'll just step into the kitchen and get a bottle of wine." He smiled. The evening wasn't going to be a disaster after all. God bless Al Gore, he thought.

Delmobile

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