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turn out — prove to be

phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon

to happen in a particular way, or to have a particular result, especially one that is unexpected.

Say it like a native

Textbook It transpired that the rumour was unfounded.

Native It turned out the rumour wasn't true.

'Turn out' is the everyday way to report how something proved to be; 'it transpired that' is literary/formal.

Pattern: turn out (to be) + adjective/noun/clause

In use

  • The weather turned out to be better than we expected.daily life
  • At first, I thought the exam would be very difficult, but it turned out to be quite easy.IELTS speaking

Common mistake

✗ The film turned out boring.

✓ The film turned out to be boring. / The film turned out boring (informal).

Most naturally 'turn out TO BE + adjective', or 'turn out + that-clause'.

Common collocations

  • turn out + result — to be fine, well, that..., differently

Don't confuse it

'Turn out' is about the result; 'find out' is about learning something.

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