Turn up meaning in English

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Definition

to turn up (somewhere): to arrive, to get, to show up (somewhere) idiom
to turn up (the volume): to increase, to raise, to boost, to heighten (the volume) idiom

Examples

  • "The chance of someone actually turning up = 43%."
  • "If someone isn't hearing my argument, I just turn up the volume until I get a sale."
  • "Anyone who fails to turn up will be forced to work with Horatio for a month."
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks with words used in the dialogue. Use the examples to help you!

-The music is very quiet, could you make it louder?
-No problem, I'll the volume! (2 words)

-How does this dog whistle work?
-It produces a high- sound that can only be heard by dogs. Humans can't hear this frequency. (1 word)

-Does he like to be the center of attention?
-No, he prefers to stay in the . (1 word)

Fill in the blanks with words used in the dialogue. Use the examples to help you!

-The music is very quiet, could you make it louder?
-No problem, I'll turn up 1 the volume! (2 words)

-How does this dog whistle work?
-It produces a high-pitched 2 sound that can only be heard by dogs. Humans can't hear this frequency. (1 word)

-Does he like to be the center of attention?
-No, he prefers to stay in the background 3. (1 word)
1 turn up: To "turn up" the volume is to increase the volume. In the dialogue, Philip says, "if someone isn't hearing my argument, I just TURN UP the volume until I get a sale". This means if Philip has problems selling products to clients, he simply speaks louder! Logically enough, "turn down" means to decrease the volume. Example: I can't sleep with that loud music - please could you TURN the volume DOWN!
2 pitched: A "pitch" is a frequency (of sound). Therefore, if something is "high-pitched", it produces high frequency sounds. Example: After the rock concert I had high-pitched ringing in my ears. In the dialogue, Edward suggests he is "high-pitched" like a flute because he has a high voice.
3 background: The term "background" is often used to describe the back part of a painting, the area that appears to be far away. Example: This Rembrandt painting has mountains in the background. If someone "stays in the background", they maintain a low profile and prefer to be unnoticed. This is what Edward means when he says that he is "often in the background".
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with words used in the dialogue. Use the examples to help you!

-The music is very quiet, could you make it louder?
-No problem, I'll the volume! (2 words)

-How does this dog whistle work?
-It produces a high- sound that can only be heard by dogs. Humans can't hear this frequency. (1 word)

-Does he like to be the center of attention?
-No, he prefers to stay in the . (1 word)

Fill in the blanks with words used in the dialogue. Use the examples to help you!

-The music is very quiet, could you make it louder?
-No problem, I'll turn up 1 the volume! (2 words)

-How does this dog whistle work?
-It produces a high-pitched 2 sound that can only be heard by dogs. Humans can't hear this frequency. (1 word)

-Does he like to be the center of attention?
-No, he prefers to stay in the background 3. (1 word)
1 turn up: To "turn up" the volume is to increase the volume. In the dialogue, Philip says, "if someone isn't hearing my argument, I just TURN UP the volume until I get a sale". This means if Philip has problems selling products to clients, he simply speaks louder! Logically enough, "turn down" means to decrease the volume. Example: I can't sleep with that loud music - please could you TURN the volume DOWN!
2 pitched: A "pitch" is a frequency (of sound). Therefore, if something is "high-pitched", it produces high frequency sounds. Example: After the rock concert I had high-pitched ringing in my ears. In the dialogue, Edward suggests he is "high-pitched" like a flute because he has a high voice.
3 background: The term "background" is often used to describe the back part of a painting, the area that appears to be far away. Example: This Rembrandt painting has mountains in the background. If someone "stays in the background", they maintain a low profile and prefer to be unnoticed. This is what Edward means when he says that he is "often in the background".

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