"Turn foo off" vs "Turn off foo"

[Blue Frog]

Which of these do you prefer?

1)
Turn off the blue switch
Turn the blue switch off.

2)
Switch off the operation.
Switch the operation off.

3)
Click here to switch off the operation.
Click here to switch the operation off.

4)
Click here to turn off the quantization of the proton-neutron conglomerate.
Click here to turn the quantization of the proton-neutron conglomerate off.

[Casiopea]

Welcome, Blue Frog.

The phrasal verbs turn off and switch off are separable, so both forms are acceptable:

turn off something <never, turn off it>
switch off something <never, switch off it>

turn something off
switch something off

If, however, the verb's object is fairly long, as in example 4), it's best not to separate the phrasal verb. It's not a rule. It's just being kind to your reader.

4) Click here to turn off the ....


Read more here:
What are Phrasal Verbs? - Phrasal Verbs Explained for ESL Students
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/phrasal-verbs/

[Blue Frog]

Thank you so much, just as I expected, but English being my second language I feared maybe one was more "proper" than the other.

Truly appreciate the help.

[Casiopea]

You're most welcome.

Please remember, consistency is also important.

[Blue Frog]

So what you mean by consistency is pick one and stick to it throughout the book?

For example always use "turn on the switch" and never "turn the switch on" would be fine?

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by Blue Frog

So what you mean by consistency is pick one and stick to it throughout the book?

Right.

[Blue Frog]

Thanks!