He turned teacher
Is "he turned teacher" the same as "he became a teacher"?
Thank you.
8 Answers
Is "he turned teacher" the same as "he became a teacher"?
I would not say that it would never be said this way (turned teacher); however, such an expression would be very uncommon, informal and probably only be used in extremely limited situations.
The only example that I can think of would be if it were being used in a figurative sense such as if the word were meant to signify something along the lines of "acted like" or "played the part of."
? Mrs. Eck had stepped out of the classroom for a minute, and we were all horsing around when that nerd, Johnny, turned teacher on us and tried to get us all to sit down quietly and behave.
? Mrs. Eck had stepped out of the classroom for a minute, and we were all horsing around when that nerd, Johnny, became a teacher on us and tried to get us all to sit down quietly and behave.
? We were smoking in the bathroom when he tried to turn teacher on us all of a sudden and tell us that what we were doing was wrong.
? We were smoking in the bathroom when he tried to become a teacher on us all of a sudden and tell us that what we were doing was wrong.
In both sets of examples above, the idea of teacher is used in a metaphorical sense (used as a comparison) and implies the characteristics of a killjoy or party-pooper. More specifically, it is used (in this context) to describe, in a pejorative fashion, a person who tries to take on an authoritarian role to which they are not suited/qualified and by doing so (or with the added consequence of), spoiling a good time.
In a literal sense and in other contexts, the expression "he turned teacher" seems awkward, and it would probably be best to be avoided in favor of "he became a teacher."
Note:
You could say the following (although there is still a subtle difference in meaning between the two):
?He turned out to be a great teacher.
?He became a great teacher.
No, He turned teacher by itself wouldn't be said at all in English.
J
I emphatically disagree with all of the foregoing replies. The phrase is neither weird (not said) nor particularly colloquial. If anything, it is somewhat old-fashioned (perhaps, even, literary).
From the OED (usage 39, b. with n. compl. (most commonly without article). Freq. as pa. pple. modifying a n.
1596 Shakes. Merch. V. iii. i. 82 Vnlesse the diuell himselfe turne Iew. 1660 Fuller Mixt Contempl. (1841) 172 The remedy turned the malady of the land. 1758 S. Hayward Serm. xvii. 531 A mother must turn monster if she does not love her babe. 1853 Lytton My Novel v. ix, Did not you turn..a common stage-player, sir? 1879 Dowden Southey vi. 178 Under such strokes a courageous heart may turn coward. 1879 W. Minto Defoe x. 170 He had seen Whig turn Tory and Tory turn Whig. 1945, etc. [see poacher1 1 b]. 1964 Eng. Studies XLV. 382 Their Scandinavian conquerors-turned-neighbors. 1973 E. Schumacher Small is Beautiful i. iii. 44 The economist-turned-econometrician is unwilling..to face the question. 1982 Times Lit. Suppl. 10 Sept. 968/3 Jerome’s father was a Nonconformist preacher, turned architect, turned mine-owner.
Of my own invention: Although raised in a Baptist household, he turned Catholic at the age of twenty-one.
His parents were staunch Republicans but, while in college, he turned Communist.
Despite being raised in a law-abiding household, he turned criminal at an early age.
Since his parents were, at best, semi-literate, it was surprising that he turned teacher.
I agree with both Jeremias and Matt.
"To turn" in this context is a very low and uneducated way to say "To turn into" or "To become." Only the most ignorant people would use this type of construction.
In English we would usually say: He became a teacher = llegó a ser un maestro
We would not use the expression 'he turned' in this kind of Context, Nila
We would use he turned in these kind of examples;
He turned the corner and realized that he was back where he had started.
She had just turned 30 that year (had her 30th Birthday)
When the spell broke the frog turned back into a prince.
4 The traitor turned pale and tried to escape when he realized he had been discovered
I hope this helps 
3.
¡Hola!, Nila:
A couple of examples of the use of the word "turn" came into my mind as I read your question. But, they are both out of the ordinary, in a way. Consider these two examples:
If my sister came upon a serpent on a forest trail, it would frighten her very badly. In that case I might say of her, "If Jan saw a snake in her path, I think she would turn tail and run the other way." However notice that this suggests a reversal of a direction of travel and the two words "turn tail" might be considered a limited use figure of speech.
Another example might involve a government spy who in a turncoat way gives information or acts for a foreign (hostile) government or agency. Such a person might be said to "turn rogue". But, here again, there is an about face or directional change of a sort.
Otherwise, I tend to agree with Jeremias, MattM and JulianChivas that when an individual sets out on a course and achieves their goal, as in learning the art of teaching, they are said to have "become" a teacher. In the absence of a directional change, "turn" would not be used.
Muchos saludos/Best regards,
Moe
convertir en ingles sería más como ....(turned into) something.
convert, transform
Convirtió al príncipe en rana. She turned the prince into a frog. Algo inmediato.
To become something, para hacerse algo lleva tiempo, gradual y estaría mejor en este contexto. Hacerse mejor. To grow old.
O algo en el pasado. Se hizo mi maestro. He became my teacher.
it is interesting to note that all of your examples seem to use the word "turn" to highlight a contrast or to emphasize the degree of change
No argument there. Only that the "change of direction" can refer to "change of opinion" / "change of lifestyle", both of which are more metaphorical than literal.
