Q:

Correct Preposition in the Phrase "Someone's back was turned ___ someone else"

I'm curious about which preposition to use in the bolded sentence:

Crawford’s back was turned to the supervisor. He didn’t even bother to turn around to face the red-haired male to have a face-to-face conversation.

Should I use "Crawford's back was turned on the supervisor" or "Crawford's back was turned to the supervisor"? The first example doesn't sound right and I need a little help.

A:

Yes, the bolded part of the sentence is grammatically correct.
"Was turned to" means "was facing." This phrase is also used with the head; for example, "Her head was turned to the speaker as he approached the podium."
The sentence is describing the state Crawford is in. "Turning one's back on," however, usually describes an action rather than a state. It's often used metaphorically, whereas the "turned to" version never is.
I would take issue with the use of a mere comma to separate the two parts of that sentence, however...

