Don't say open/close for turning lights on/off! turn on / turn off is the natural way to say it
"Help me open the light," "Close the air conditioner"—you would say these easily in Chinese, but when it comes to English, many people translate them literally as Open the light or Close the air conditioner. It sounds smooth, but a native speaker will pause in confusion.
What is the problem? While in Chinese a single "開" (open) and "關" (close) can handle everything, in English, the phrasing changes depending on the object. This is a classic case of native language interference, and almost everyone has made this mistake. The good news is that the rule is extremely simple, and after reading this article, you will never get it wrong again.
Remember one core rule first
In English, "open/close" or "turn on/off" mainly applies to three types of objects, each using its own words:
- Electrical appliances, power sources (things that light up, move, or need to be plugged in) → turn on / turn off
- Doors, windows, lids, drawers (things pushed open or pulled shut by hand) → open / close
- Business status of shops → open / closed
In other words, while "開電視" (open TV) and "開窗戶" (open window) use the same verb in Chinese, they use two completely different verbs in English. Keep this distinction in mind, and let's go through them one by one below.
✗ Chinglish → ✓ Natural Expressions: Appliances
This category is where learners make mistakes most often. As long as it is plugged in, lights up, or makes sound, always use turn on / turn off:
Open the light.✗ → Turn on the light. ✓ (Turn on the light.)Close the light.✗ → Turn off the light. ✓ (Turn off the light.)Open the TV.✗ → Turn on the TV. ✓ (Turn on the TV.)Close the air conditioner.✗ → Turn off the air conditioner. ✓ (Turn off the AC.)Please close the fan.✗ → Please turn off the fan. ✓ (Please turn off the fan.)Open the computer.✗ → Turn on the computer. ✓ (Turn on the computer.)
You will get a better feel for it when you look at them in complete sentences:
- It's getting dark. Can you turn on the light? (It's getting dark. Can you turn on the light?)
- I always turn off the air conditioner before I leave. (I always turn off the air conditioner before I leave.)
- Don't forget to turn off the TV before you go to bed. (Don't forget to turn off the TV before you go to bed.)
✓ Use open / close only for doors and windows
So, when do you use open and close? The answer is for things that "can be pushed open or pulled shut by hand"—doors, windows, lids, drawers, and books. For these, open / close is correct:
- It's hot in here. Please open the window. (It's hot in here. Please open the window.)
- Could you close the door? It's noisy outside. (Could you close the door? It's noisy outside.)
- She opened the box and found a gift inside. (She opened the box and found a gift inside.)
The comparison makes it very clear: lights are electrical, so you turn on the light; windows are pushed by hand, so you open the window. Even though both are "開" (open) in Chinese, English distinguishes them clearly.
✓ Store business hours: open / closed
There is another common real-life scenario: asking if a shop is "open or closed." In this case, use the adjectives open / closed to describe the state:
- The coffee shop is open until 10 p.m. (The coffee shop is open until 10 p.m.)
- Sorry, we're closed today. (Sorry, we're closed today.)
- Is the bank open on Saturdays? (Is the bank open on Saturdays?)
Note that "open for business" is open, while "closed for business" is closed (with a "d" because it describes the state of "being closed"). This looks similar to the verb close used for doors and windows, but the usage is different; when you see We're closed, you know it means "we are not open today."
A handy way to decide
When you are not sure which one to use, just ask yourself one question:
Is this object a "plugged-in, lighting-up, or moving" electrical appliance? Yes → turn on / turn off. Is it a door or window that you "push open or pull shut by hand"? Yes → open / close.
Electric fans spin and plug in, so you turn off the fan; windows are pushed by hand, so you open the window. Keep this visual in mind, and you will almost never make a mistake.
Learn two more super useful extended expressions
After breaking the bad habit of using open/close, learn these two sets of phrases to make your English sound even more natural when talking about appliances:
- switch on / switch off: Almost the same as turn on / turn off, and can be used interchangeably. Please switch off the lights when you leave. (Please turn off the lights when you leave.)
- turn up / turn down: Increase or decrease (volume, temperature, brightness). Can you turn up the volume? I can't hear it. (Can you turn up the volume? I can't hear it.) It's too hot. Let's turn down the heater. (It's too hot. Let's turn down the heater.)
This way, you can express the entire set of actions—"turn on, turn off, turn up, turn down"—for electrical appliances in English.
Don't forget: Pronouns must be placed in the middle
turn on / turn off are separable phrasal verbs. When the object is replaced with it or them, it must be placed between the two words:
- Turn it on. ✓,
Turn on it.✗ (Turn it on.) - Turn them off. ✓,
Turn off them.✗ (Turn them off.)
Both are fine when the object is a noun (turn on the light = turn the light on), but once it's changed to a pronoun, it must go in the middle. Remember this minor rule, and your sentences will instantly sound like a native speaker.
How to practice on Loopy
Knowing the rules and actually using them is separated by "encountering them multiple times." Loopy places sentences like turn on the light, open the window, and turn off the air conditioner into real-life conversations and listening scenarios, allowing you to naturally encounter them through listening, speaking, and shadowing again and again, and then uses a memory curve to remind you to review just when you are about to forget. If you encounter a word you are unsure of, you can open the dictionary to look up the usage and example sentences for turn on or switch off.
Starting today, when you see lights, TVs, or air conditioners, first think of turn on / turn off; use open / close only when you see doors and windows. Practice a few more times, and this distinction will become second nature to you.