Meaning trap
turn over
to give control or responsibility to someone
To officially give someone else control, responsibility, or ownership of something.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To officially give someone else control, responsibility, or ownership of something.
Another meaning of 'turn over' is 'to turn something so the other side is facing up'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- After ten years, she turned over the company to her son.work
- When my manager retired, he turned over his duties to me, which was a big step in my career.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: turn something over (to someone)
WrongHe turned over the documents the police.
RightHe turned the documents over to the police.
'Turn ... over TO' the person who gets control.
Patternturn something over (to someone)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Turn over' is the everyday verb for handing control to someone; 'relinquish control' is formal.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
turn over + toto the policethe keyscontrolthe business
Don't confuse it
'Hand over' is similar but often less formal; 'turn over' can sound more official.
Related
- turn over (to turn something so the other side is facing up) — Another meaning of 'turn over' is 'to turn something so the other side is facing up'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.