Why Does An Alarm “Go Off” And Not “Go On”? Full Explanation!

When it comes to using prepositions in certain terms, you might be met with a little bit of resistance. Take alarms, for example. An alarm can “go off” when it sounds, but it can’t “go on.” This article will look at why that is the case and how the prepositions work.

Why Does An Alarm “Go Off” Instead Of “Go On”?

An alarm “goes off” because we use the phrasal verb “go off” to mean that a sound is beginning to “go.” It shows that a sudden and spontaneous noise has started. We cannot use “go on” because the meanings of the phrasal verb “go on” don’t line up with what an alarm does.

It might seem a little counterintuitive if you think about it. After all, when an alarm starts, it’s technically “turned on.” We use “on” in that sense to talk about things that have changed state from “off” to “on,” but this doesn’t apply to alarms.

Don’t worry; there’s plenty more explanation coming if you’re still confused.

What Does It Mean When An Alarm Goes Off?

An alarm going off means that the alarm has abruptly started to sound. This could relate to a car alarm, a house alarm, an alarm clock, or any other alarm that is possible to make a sound. Interestingly, silent alarms can also “go off,” meaning the noise isn’t always required.

We use the phrasal verb “go off” to show that the alarm has changed from a state of resting to a state of action.

While it’s an inanimate object, an alarm that isn’t going off is considered idle or dormant. We then use “go off” synonymously with “set off” to talk about the change of state from dormant to active, where the alarm finally makes noise.

What Does It Mean When An Alarm Goes On?

So, why can’t we use “go on?” After all, “on” is another word we can use to talk about changing a state from “off” to “on.”

“Go on” as a phrasal verb doesn’t have any meaning related to an alarm. We can use “go on” to cheer somebody forward, to find out what’s happening, or to proceed in some way. An alarm can do none of these things.

The three examples we’ve shared with you work better in these senses:

1. Go on! You can do it!
2. What’s going on here?
3. You should go on through that tunnel.

There are no cases where “go on” is the correct phrasal verb for an alarm.

It’s likely that some people confuse “go on” with something like “turn on.” In a way, “turn on” can be used to talk about an alarm starting to sound, since “turn on” refers to that same change of state of an object from “off” to “on.”

However, with the confusion aside, there is no place for “go on” when talking about alarms. Only “go off” makes sense.

Is It “Alarm Goes Off” Or “Alarm Went Off”?

“Go off” isn’t the only phrasal verb we can use either. There are a few others out there, but there’s one in particular that we want to focus on.

According to Google Ngram Viewer, “alarm went off” is the most popular phrasal verb we use to talk about an alarm that’s changed its state to be “on.” “Went off” is a more popular phrasal verb than “go off” in all cases.

The key difference we need to establish here comes with tense, though. “Alarm went off” is a past tense verb, which is the most common tense you’ll use when talking about an alarm.

Generally, we mention alarms “going off” in the past tense because we would hopefully have already dealt with whatever caused the alarm to go off. We usually don’t have time to address the situation while the alarm is still sounding.

“Alarm goes off” is a present tense phrase. We would usually find it works best when the alarm is still going off or has only just started going off. Again, it’s not common to talk about alarms like this in the present tense since most people would rather deal with them before saying anything.

Examples Of How To Use “Alarm Goes Off” And “Alarm Went Off” In A Sentence

Some examples of both cases might help you understand the tense variations a little more. Also, you might be interested in reading these examples if they help you figure out why “alarm went off” is slightly more popular.

1. My alarm went off in the dead of night last night, and I couldn’t stop it!
2. The house alarm keeps going off, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it!
3. Your car alarm went off again. Is there anything wrong with it?
4. His alarm won’t stop going off! I can’t stop it.
5. Your alarm goes off a lot while you’re at work, doesn’t it?
6. My alarm went off about three times last night, but I’m sure I didn’t set it to do that!
7. The burglar alarm goes off annually, just to make sure that it still works.
8. His alarm will go off any second now, and it’ll wake him up for sure.

“Alarm goes off” and “alarm went off” are synonymous. We can use both to talk about an alarm that has started to make sound or has finished making sound at some point in the past. “Alarm went off” is more popular because it fits in more contexts and situations.

11 Good Synonyms For “Alarm Goes Off” And “Alarm Went Off”

Finally, let’s go over some good synonyms that you might want to use in place of “alarm went off.” There aren’t many better choices out there, but these will give you an option to play around with extra forms.

• Set off an alarm
• Alarm sets off
• Alarm turned on
• Alarm turns on
• Signal an alarm
• Alarm started
• Alarm was tripped
• Alarm tripped
• Trigger an alarm
• Activate an alarm
• Trip an alarm

All of the verb choices above are different ways to talk about someone changing the state of an alarm from “off” to “on.” They work well to replace both “alarm goes off” and “alarm went off.”