Vocabulary
Show, leave, let
Study the following vocabulary.
I had been so excited to visit my brother in Los Angeles, but when I was there he really let me down. First, he showed up an hour late when he picked me up from the airport. Then, he was more interested in showing off his new car than he was in showing mearound the city. The only food he had in his house was left over from three nights earlier. And the worst part was that he was busy with his friends, and he left me out. I didn’t want to let on that I was upset, though, because we hadn’t seen each other in so long. However, after about a week his bad behavior still had not let up, so I decided to confront him. He apologized, so I decided to lethim off the hook.
show off – to try to impress other people with abilities, wealth, etc.; to make people pay attention because you are proud
She brought her new boyfriend along to show him off.
show around – to go with someone when s/he visits a place for the first time
There are guides at the palace who can show the visitors around.
show up – to arrive or appear at an arranged meeting place
I arranged to meet him for lunch, but he didn’t show up.
leave off – to not include or mention; to stop doing
Have I left anyone off the list?
Would you leave off what you are doing for the moment?
leave out – to forget deliberately
It seemed unkind to leave Daisy out, so we invited her too.
left over – to remain when the rest has been used (or eaten)
After I’ve paid my rent and bought food, there isn’t much left over to spend on books.
let down – to fail to support in the way that is hoped or expected
She said she would help, but she let them down at the last minute.
He wasn’t going to let the senator off the hook; he kept asking questions.
let off – to punish slightly for wrongdoing (to let somebody off the hook is to free someone from an unpleasant situation)
She was let off with a fine.
let on – to tell someone something that is supposed to be a secret
The children didn’t let on that they knew about the surprise party.
let up – to do with less energy or effort, to stop doing something
We mustn’t let up even though we are winning.