If someone is in position 1, then what should we say to this person in order to make him get the position 2 and position 3?
Should I say
"turn around" or "turn back"
( from position 1 to position 2)
or
Can we say
"turn back"
is only used to get position 1 from 2.Because we only see his back in this position?
And consider somebody runs to a certain point or a certain drawn yellow line (while he/she is going away from me) in a straight lane and then I would like to ask him/her to come back to the starting point where I am..
In this situation should I say,
"Turn back from the yellow line"
or
"turn around from the yellow line"
Best Answer
The only time you normally speak of "turning back" is if traveling somwhere. For example some boys are hiking on a mountain. The leader says "we have to turn back; it's too steep."
So to get from 1 to 2 you would tell them to "turn around." now, 99 out of 100 people will turn 180 degrees, and one clown (smart aleck, joker) will turn 360 degrees, back to position 1. Because "turn around" can also mean one complete revolution (compare how far does a car go for each time the tire turns around?)
As for going from 2 to 3, that looks like : "turn to your left" i.e. 90 degrees counterclockwise (as viewed from above). Or is it just a side view of boy after he turns from 1 to 2?
Anyway, I would say
"[Go/Run/Walk] to the yellow line, then turn AROUND and [come/run/walk] BACK {to {here}}."
------------- superfluous note ------ Or, in military talk (if they stop and pause at yellow line, then come back)
Forward March! Company, Halt! (at yellow line) About Face! {to the rear?} March!