To turn off / to switch off / to shut off

To turn off: to cause to stop functioning (also: to switch off, to shut off) (S)

Turn on and turn off, as well as their related forms, are used for things that flow, such as electricity, water, gas, etc.

• Please turn off the light when you leave the room.
• Are you really listening to the radio, or should I turn it off ?

bare bone essential

bare bone essential 

Passive / present perfect passive

• Somebody has painted the door.
• The door has been painted.

• My Keys have been stolen.
• Has this window been washed?

Compare the present perfect and simple past:

• I cannot find my keys. I think they've been stolen. (pp)
• My keys were stolen last week. (sp)

Passive / present continuous passive

• Somebody is painting the room.
• The room is being painted.

• I took the bus this morning. My car is being repaired. (somebody is repairing it.)
• In the U.S, football games are usually shown on TV on Mondays, but no games are being shown next Monday.

Passive / simple present- simple past

When we use the passive, who or what cause the action is often unknown or unimportant;
We use a passive verb to say what happens to the subject;

• How is this word pronounced ?
• The office is cleaned every day.
• The office was cleaned yesterday.

Compare Active and Passive:

• Somebody cleans the office every day.
• Office is cleaned every day.

am/is/are/were/was  + (not)   + Past Participle

is cleaned

are not imported

is made

• I was born in Iran.
• where were you born?
• Was anybody injured in the accident?
• two people were taken to the hospital.

if we want to say who does or what causes the action, we use by:

Passive+by :

• We were woken up by a loud noise.
• Many accidents are caused by careless driving.
• The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.

To turn on/ To switch on

To turn on: to start or cause to function (also: to switch on) (S)

• Please turn on the light; it's too dark in here.
• Do you know who turned the air conditioning on?

(informal) something that makes you feel excited, especially sexually:

• It was a turn-on to be the center of attention.

turn somebody on: to make someone feel sexually excited:

• The way he looked at her really turned her on.
• He is real turn-on.

turn somebody on: give someone happy energy

turn somebody off: fell depressed 

turn somebody on: to interest someone, or to make someone become interested in something:

• Science fiction just doesn't turn me on.

turn somebody on to: 

• It was Walter who turned me on to vegetarian food.

To call up / To give some one a call

To call up : to telephone (also: to give some one a call) (S =separable )
To call can be used instead of to call up, as in the first example below.

• I forgot to call up Mr.Jones yesterday. I'd better call him now.
• Call me up tomorrow, Jane. We'll arrange a time to have lunch together.
• I promise to give you a call as soon as I arrive in New York.

Give someone a buzz == Give someone a call == Give someone a ring

To Take Off

To Take Off : To remove (usually said for clothes) (S)

• John took off his jacket as he entered the office.

• Take your sweater off. The room is very warm.

To put on

To put on: To place on oneself (usually said for clothes) (S)

(Opposite of  Take off)

• Mary put on her coat and left the room.
• Put your hat on before you leave the house.

To think up / to dream up

To invent, to create

(To think up / to dream up)This idiom is often used for an unusual or foolish thought.

• I wish I could dream up a good excuse to give the teacher for my not having prepared my homework.
• Who thought up the idea of painting the living room walls bright red?
• When asked by the teacher why she was late, the student dreamed up a plausible excuse.