turn up — arrive / appear (Murphy Additional Exercises, Phrasal verbs)
Pattern
Section titled “Pattern”turn up = arrive / appear (often late or unexpectedly).
- Paul finally turned up an hour late. (arrived late)
- He turned up at the party without inviting us. (unexpected appearance)
- A few people didn’t turn up for the meeting. (didn’t come)
Second meaning — be found:
- Don’t worry, your keys will turn up. (be found eventually)
- My wallet turned up in the sofa. (was found)
Synonyms
Section titled “Synonyms”| Phrase | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| turn up | arrive/appear | neutral |
| show up | arrive/appear | casual, same meaning |
| arrive | arrive | formal, plain |
| roll up | arrive casually | casual |
Similar-sounding phrasals (don’t confuse)
Section titled “Similar-sounding phrasals (don’t confuse)”| Phrasal | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| blow up | explode / become angry | The bomb blew up. / He blew up at me. |
| call off | cancel | They called off the wedding. |
| doze off | fall asleep | I dozed off during the film. |
| fill in | complete a form / substitute | Fill in the form. |
| knock down | demolish | They knocked down the old building. |
| sort out | resolve | We sorted out the problem. |
| split up | separate (couple) | They split up after 5 years. |
| turn up | arrive / appear | Paul finally turned up. |
Test application
Section titled “Test application”Paul finally arrived an hour late. → Paul finally ___ an hour late.
Answer: turned up — “turn up” = arrive. The sentence rewrites “arrived” as the phrasal verb.
Why not the others?
- blew up — exploded/angry, not arrival
- called off — cancelled, not arrival
- dozed off — fell asleep, not arrival
- filled in — completed, not arrival
- knocked down — demolished, not arrival
- sorted out — resolved, not arrival
- split up — separated, not arrival
- turned up ✓ — arrived
Source
Section titled “Source”Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use (4th ed.), Additional Exercises — Phrasal verbs (Units 137-145). Ebot lesson 2026-08-29: “Paul finally ___ an hour late” → turned up (= arrived).