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PHRASAL VERB FRIDAY: 'LET GO OF'

27 / 03 / 2015

PHRASAL VERB FRIDAY: 'LET GO OF': meaning and examples

Happy Friday to you all! How was your week? Hopefully it went well. 

For today's Phrasal Verb Friday we are looking at the verb TO LET GO (OF). Some say this is not really a PHRASAL VERB at all, but rather an IDIOM. Others say it's only a PHRASAL VERB when it includes the adverbial particle OF. For an interesting forum debate about this verb, you can go to the following URL below.

http://www.antimoon.com/forum/t5330.htm

For our purposes, we're going to consider it a phrasal verb.

Definition 1: to stop holding something.

Example 1: The dog let go of his toy.

Definition 2: to allow someone/something to go free.

Example 2: The police let go of the prisoner after two hours of questioning.  

One of the most popular uses of this word, thanks in part to Disney and the movie Frozen, is now this third definition.

Definition 3: to stop worrying about something. 

Example 3: I was really angry at my friend for a few months, but eventually I let it go

Example 4: To be truly happy, you must let go of all negative thoughts.

When you include the adverbial particle OF with this transitive verb, it is non-separable. For example, we cannot say "the officer let go the prisoner of".

That's all for today. If there is something that is worrying you... let it go, and have a great weekend!