is the following phrase used commonly in english? or is it even correct?

Question

"i put on a turn of speed that i would have thought myself incapable of."

i need to know b'cos i used it recently in an essay, and my teacher crossed it out saying that he had never encountered the phrase "a turn of speed". a "burst of speed" yes, but a "turn of speed" never.
the only problem is i seem to have read it several places before, only i can't remember where.
can someone help me by clarifying whether i am right in using the phrase, or did i just invent it. if you too have read it somewhere can you give me a reference, preferably from a classical source.

most of you seem to think that it doesn't exist. but i just googled the phrase in quotes and a whole bunch of results showed up with the connotation used exactly the way i expected it to be.
don't believe me? try it yourself.

Answer 1

some people use it:

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22turn+of+speed%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

ive never heard of it though

Answer 2

You invent it, even if is a phrase, I think you used it incorrectly. You can't simply "put" on a modifier phase (a turn of speed). If you begin the sentence like, "A turn of speed was so dramatic that I opened my mouth for an hour."

Something like that ^^.

However, I would use "burst of speed" better than that phrase unless you are writing a classical paper in your english class.
Most importantly, ask your teacher or follow your teacher's advice.

Answer 3

Okay it took some looking but I found something...an obscure use of "a turn of speed" but i don't know how much it will help you.

the site is: http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/turn%2520.html

lots of entries but here's one that will help you the most.

17. Canada quantity of firewood: the amount of firewood carried into a house at one time

[Pre-12th century. < Latin tornare "turn on a lathe" < tornus "lathe" < Greek tornos]

turn·able adjective

at every turn everywhere, or at every significant moment

a turn of phrase a particular way of expressing yourself

A TURN OF SPEED: the ability to move fast for a short period or the act of doing so

by turns one after the other, alternately

in turn in a regular order, one after the other

Answer 4

I don't recall seeing "turn of speed" before, but "burst of speed" is common enough.

"of" is a preposition, which means it should never be the last word in a sentence. As my grandfather so cleverly (it runs in the family) put it, "Never a preposition use to end a sentence with."

Answer 5

I do not thinkg I have ever found that phrase used. "Turn of events" is common as is "burst of speed," but not the phrase you used.

Answer 6

the yankee history Dictionary cites under the definition of "turn" : "a rendering or fashioning, as in: 'a turn of word.' " which might seem to alter the noun "velocity" in ideal context on your sentence. in addition to, in naval parlance, the be conscious "turn" is used interior the context of forward action "the submarine became making turns for the coast." evidently your prof. is attempting to revoke or droop your literary license. besides the shown fact that the word looks somewhat out of place for as much as date American English, i think of that the policies of "Literary License" nonetheless prepare and you have satisfactory floor to apply the be conscious "turn" interior the context you cite.

Answer 7

Not familiar with that phrase.

Answer 8

i dont think its a complete sentence or i might be well it probly has something to do with a complete sentence

Answer 9

You just invented it.