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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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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?
    – wyc
    Commented Feb 7, 2013 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
    Commented Feb 7, 2013 at 14:04
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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?").
    – wyc
    Commented Feb 7, 2013 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
    Commented Feb 7, 2013 at 10:52
  • Jon's correct; in this context it's both grammatical and unambiguous in meaning.
    – Marshall Eubanks
    Commented Feb 7, 2013 at 15:36

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