left
part of speech
adjective, adverb, noun (the left); verb (leave, leaves, left, leaving)
meaning for a pupil
1) Left means still there after some has gone or been used: «Two cakes are left». tree →
2) Left is the past of leave: to go away from a place, or to let something stay where it is. tree →
3) Left is a side: the side where most people wear a watch, the opposite of right. tree →
4) The left in politics means people who want more sharing and change. tree →
5) (euphemism) «He left us» or «she's left this world» can gently mean someone died; «let go» or «left the company» may mean lost a job. tree →
6) (casual) «Left, right and centre» means everywhere; «out of left field» (US) means strange, unexpected. tree →
7) (formal) Exams say «remaining», «the remainder», «residual», «outstanding» or «departed» for left. tree →
sense in the lessons
what remains with someone after things are given, eaten or lost: «How many are left» asks for the count after the losses; in reading and maps, left is a direction; phrases: «left over», «have left», «on the left», «turn left», «left behind», «leftovers»; in casual talk «got any left?», «how many he got left then?», «there's none left lol»; in rough talk «who left the bloody gate open?», «you've left me 1 chip, cheers a lot» (sarcasm); in the exam voice «ascertain the number remaining», «the residual quantity», «the outstanding balance»
examples
- How many apples does Tom have left? tree →
- Anna had 10 sweets and ate 4. How many are left? tree →
- Ben left 3 books at school. tree →
- Turn left at the post office. tree →
- The train left at 6 o'clock. tree →
- Write with your left hand. tree →
- We ate the left-over pizza for lunch. tree →
- Look right, then left, then right again before you cross. tree →
- how many he got left then, after giving 4 away? tree →
- Oi, you've left me 1 chip, cheers a lot. tree →
- Ascertain the number of items remaining in the possession of the purchaser after 4 are consumed. tree →
- Grandpa left us last year (he died), and we miss him. tree →
note
«How many are left» asks for the count after the losses: subtract. «remaining», «the remainder», «residual» and «outstanding» in an exam mean left. Trap: «left» can be a side (the left hand) or a verb of going away. Trap: «he left us» may be a gentle way of saying he died. In a remainder problem, what is left over is the remainder.
In the corpora
- An inheritance is money or belongings left by someone who has died, as written in their will.
- It does not mean the family is in danger; it means there is little left after the bills.
- "Money's tight" means little is left after the bills for extras; it does not mean the family is in danger.
- Renters sign a tenancy and pay a deposit that comes back if the home is left in good condition.
- A rental deposit is money held in case of damage, and it comes back if the home is left in good condition.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «left» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.