Select the phrase that best expresses the meaning of the underlined phrase. It…
2017
Select the phrase that best expresses the meaning of the underlined phrase. It was a serious offence but he was allowed to go with a warning.
- A.
let off
- B.
let down
- C.
let aside
- D.
let out
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
In 'meaning of the underlined phrase' questions, treat each option as a fixed phrasal-verb unit, not a sum of its individual words: phrasal verbs built on the same base verb (here, 'let') take completely different, idiomatic meanings depending on the particle that follows. To answer, mentally substitute each option for the underlined phrase and keep only the one whose established meaning matches.
Application
The underlined phrase is allowed to go with a warning, meaning the person committed a serious offence but was excused, or given a lighter consequence than deserved. Among the phrases offered, let off is the one that idiomatically carries this exact sense — it is standardly used as 'let off with a warning', meaning to excuse someone from a deserved punishment.
Contrast
let down — to disappoint someone or fail to meet their expectations (e.g., breaking a promise); carries no sense of pardoning an offence.
let aside — not an established English phrase; the correct collocation is 'set aside' (to keep something for later use), unrelated to being excused from punishment.
let out — to release from physical confinement, or to reveal something (e.g., a secret); describes release or disclosure, not exemption from punishment.
Only let off carries the meaning of being excused from a deserved punishment, so it is the phrase that best expresses being allowed to go with a warning.