Did he cheat?
'Let Gavin in to my office now, please Mrs Chan ... sit down, Gavin, and let us discuss what happened in the maths exam. But before you give your version of events, I want to tell you that you have really let me down. I thought that you were one of the most trustworthy boys in the whole school. You have also let yourself down and you have let down your parents who will be very disappointed with you when I tell them what you have done.
'Your form teacher has asked me to let you off any punishment, but I have refused to consider that option. Why should I let you off when you have been caught cheating in an important examination?
'You will be detained after school for two weeks, one hour every day. I will instruct the teacher on duty to make sure you are not let out of school until you have completed the full hour. If you see other pupils being let out of detention early, do not think you will be allowed to leave with them.
'Let Gavin's form teacher in to the office, please, Mrs Chan. We need to discuss all this with him.'
YOUR TURN
1. TO LET DOWN - means to disappoint. It also means to fail to keep an appointment.
I've really let my parents down by failing all my exams.
I waited in front of the cinema for an hour but he let me down.
2. TO LET IN - means to allow someone to enter somewhere.
I'm ready. Please let him in to my office.
3. TO LET OFF - means not to punish someone or release someone (usually from an obligation).
The court let off the robbery suspect without any punishment due to a lack of proper evidence.
He was let off from attending the graduation ceremony because he
was sick.
4. TO LET OUT - means to allow someone to leave a place. It can also mean to make a sound (like a yell or a cry).
Dad let me out of my bedroom after an hour.
He let out a scream as the werewolf grabbed hold of him.
TASK 1.
Put DOWN, IN, OFF or OUT into the sentence gaps.
1. I felt let ....... when Walter forgot my birthday.
2. I am happy they let my dad ...... of hospital after two days.
3. I don't expect to be let ...... after what I have done.
4. He let ....... a cry of disbelief.
5. I want to be alone. Don't let him ..... to the house, please.
6. I am so sorry. I didn't mean to let you ........
TASK 2.
What do these sentences mean?
1. I felt so let down when I got my exam results.
a) I felt very happy.
b) I felt disappointed.
2. When are they going to let him out of prison?
a) When are they going to release him?
b) When are they going to take him to prison?
3. Never let that man in again!
a) I never want to see him again.
b) I want to see him again soon.
4. Paul has let me down again.
a) Paul has asked me out again.
b) Paul has disappointed me again by not keeping an appointment.
5. The dog was let out of the house for its daily walk.
a) The dog is chained inside the house.
b) The dog left the house to be taken for a walk.
Answers
Task 1: down/out/off/out/in/down
Task 2: 1b / 2a / 3a / 4b / 5b
Young Post's language exercises won't kill you. Thomas and Mandie survived.
Mandie Ho, 17
TWGHs Mrs Wu York Yu Memorial College
I like the beginning of the story. It starts with 'let in' so I learned how to use the phrase right away. I've seen the phrases 'let in' and 'let down' before. But through this passage, I learned two more 'let' phrases. That's great!
Thomas Li, 16
St Joseph's College
I didn't know 'let off' before. But after reading the passage, I learned the phrase. The passage is well-written and clear. It helped me understand all the phrases. Task 1 is a good exercise. It helped me reflect on the meaning of each phrase.
