Learn English – What are the other ways of saying “turn on/off the light”

expressionsword-usage

I'm writing about a person who comes into the room twice and both times turns the light on and then off.

I'm wondering if I can avoid repetition with the expressions like

  • taps the light switch (off);
  • slams the switch on;
  • shuts the light (off).

Are those three grammatically correct? Or maybe there are more common ways to say that?

Thank you!

Best Answer

taps the light switch (off)

and

slams the switch on

both sound fine to me, although the first might suggest a neutral or tentative mood and the second is more aggressive.

shut the light off

is rarely used in the context of operating a switch and sounds odd. It's probably more appropriate in a situation where the light is being blocked, for example by closing a door.

In addition to Stu W's suggestion of 'flipping the switch', you could also use:

She clicked the light switch on and off again

or

She flicked the light switch on and off again

I use 'light switch' in these examples and not just 'light' because I think 'turn on the light' could refer to a number of ways of switching a lamp on, whereas 'clicking' and 'flicking' (and 'flipping') are more specific to the typical type of plastic wall switch you'd find in modern buildings.

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