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Here are some examples:

Erica turned to him

Erica turned towards him

Erica turned to face him

Erica turned to look at him

I'm not sure if the first one is grammatically incorrect and/or ambiguous?

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2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

All are grammatical. The first however, can have a different meaning. While the last three examples all indicate a physical movement, the first can be more metaphorical. To turn to someone means to ask them for help.

I couldn't understand the sentence, so I turned to ELU.

The previous sentence means that I asked ELU for help. The following sentence means that I physically turned my body

I turned my face to the wall.

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but perhaps in cases like this: "I'm sorry," he said, turning to her. "Turning" does not mean help? – janoChen Feb 7 at 13:25
You are quite right @janoChen. It depends on the context. In the absence of context, I at least, would understand he turned to her to mean he turned to her for help but it can take both meanings. – terdon Feb 7 at 14:04
up vote 2 down vote

All of those are equally correct grammatically, and all of them are in common usage.

Erica turned to Adam and asked, "why did I turn to face you?"

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Would it sound strange without the "asked"? (e.g. Erica turned to Adam. "Why did I turn to face you?"). – janoChen Feb 7 at 9:12
No, omission of the asked or said introducing speech is very common, and increasingly so. It can leave one confused as to just who is saying what sometimes, but not here. – Jon Hanna Feb 7 at 10:52
Jon's correct; in this context it's both grammatical and unambiguous in meaning. – marshaul Feb 7 at 15:36

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