Learn English – Can traffic lights “turn red” for ten minutes

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I've been learning Indonesian with Indonesian pod 101 and I'm afraid in learning bad English meanwhile. Is this sentence correct?

"Lisa, so sorry. The traffic jam was awful, and all the traffic lights seemed to turn red for longer than usual."

Can you say traffic lights "turned red for ten minutes" or is it just literal Indonesian translation?

Best Answer

"turned red for" is perfectly appropriate in the context of "became red and stayed that way for a time period"

Here are a few more example of "turned red for"

  • He furrowed his eyebrows and I thought his eyes turned red for a moment.
  • Three times between July and October 1933, six of the white beads turned red for a short time.
  • The Ice turned Red briefly for a few minutes. (Source)

There are other possible ways of saying it:

  • "...the traffic lights were red for 10 minutes"
  • "...the traffic lights stayed red for 10 minutes"
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