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Lesson 42 / Sound
5 phrases · 12 minutes · Look, listen and try.
Turn on the device, adjust the volume and hear the words clearly in a small music corner.
Match words to pictures →Play What is She/He doing? →
A randomly assigned, fixed male or female synthetic voice for each phrase or sentence · Slow playback at 0.7× preserves pitch.
Switch on the music player, please.
Switch on the music player, please.
I switched the lamp on to see the buttons.
I switched the lamp on to see the buttons.
In the context of equipment, it roughly means “turn on”. The pronoun is in the middle: “switch it on”.
Cambridge Dictionary · switch on
The music is quiet. Can you turn it up a little?
The music is quiet. Can you turn it up a little?
I turned the volume up so everyone could hear.
I turned the volume up so everyone could hear.
Here is increasing the level of the device; different from "turn up" which means to appear.
Switch off the player when the song ends.
Switch off the player when the song ends.
We switched it off before leaving the room.
We switched it off before leaving the room.
Antonym of “switch on”. With pronouns, use “switch it off”.
Cambridge Dictionary · switch off
I called out her name, and she waved at me.
I called out her name, and she waved at me.
Please raise your hand instead of calling out the answer.
Please raise your hand instead of calling out the answer.
In the lesson, talk loudly; No need to call or cancel events in “call off”.
I cannot make out the last word in the song.
I cannot make out the last word in the song.
Can you make out what the singer is saying?
Can you make out what the singer is saying?
Used when hearing or seeing is difficult; “make it out” has the pronoun in the middle. Past tense “made”.
The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 124, 134, 124, 19, 86. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.
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Sentences using suggestions are counted as needing more practice. Review schedule based on each phrase's meaning.
OBSERVE · UNDERSTAND · MATCH
Drag a wire from the dot beside a phrase to the dot beside its matching picture. You can also tap a phrase, then a picture. Drag again to change a pair before checking.
Read the picture descriptions for more context. Similar expressions are accepted when they fit the particular scene.
Vy presses the button to turn on the music player on the table.
The picture could not load. Try loading it again before matching.
Vy turns the volume knob to make the music a little louder.
The picture could not load. Try loading it again before matching.
Vy pressed the button to turn off the music player after finishing listening.
The picture could not load. Try loading it again before matching.
Vy calls out a friend’s name across the music room.
The picture could not load. Try loading it again before matching.
Vy listened attentively to an unpleasant song from the music player.
The picture could not load. Try loading it again before matching.
Choose a phrase to begin.
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Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
May I switch on the radio?
May I switch on the radio?
Yes, but do not turn it up too much.
Yes, but do not turn it up too much.
I will switch it off when you need to study.
I will switch it off when you need to study.
“Switch on” starts a device; “switch off” stops it. “Turn up” increases a level such as volume, rather than necessarily starting a switched-off device.
Try answering before revealing the suggested answer. This practice is not scored.
The answers below are models. Other answers can also work if they preserve the facts, meaning and structure requested in the task.
A radio is silent because it is off. Once started, its music is too loud for a nearby reader.
What action starts the radio?
Switch on the radio.
The radio is off, so “switch on” starts it; changing volume alone does not address its current state.
Replace “the radio” with “it”: Switch the radio off.
Switch it off.
Replacing “the radio” with “it” gives “switch it off”; the pronoun cannot follow “off”.
Explain why you will not turn the sound up.
I will not turn it up because someone is reading.
“Turn it up” increases volume; refusing it fits music that is already loud beside a reader.
The usage comparisons are checked against the Cambridge Dictionary entries linked beside the compared expressions. The additional conversations and exercises are written for this course.
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