Let alone means “and certainly not”, “never mind”. It strengthens a negative: if even the simple thing isn't possible, the harder one is out of the question. I can't boil an egg, let alone cook dinner. Let alone almost always follows a negative part: can't, don't, never, hardly.
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negative clause, let alone + noun/verb; can't/don't + verb …, let alone + verb; hardly/never …, let alone + noun
- I don't have time to read the news, let alone a whole novel.
- Most of the students had never left their town, let alone travelled abroad.
- He can barely afford the rent, let alone a new car.
What changed
First versionOur hotel had a big pool, let alone a private beach.
RevisionOur hotel had a big pool, not to mention a private beach.
Not to mention works in happy sentences too: Our hotel had a big pool, not to mention a private beach. Since the two phrases seem to mean the same, let alone ends up after a positive statement. But let alone strengthens a negative: “not even this, and certainly not that”. When you add something even better to something good, use not to mention.
Let alone is easy to confuse with leave alone, meaning “not disturb”: Leave me alone, I'm working. That's a completely different expression. In meaning, let alone is close to never mind: I can't afford a bike, never mind a car. Never mind sounds more conversational, while let alone also works in essays.
Your turn
Tom has never even driven a car, ___ a lorry.
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let alone — There's a negative before the gap: Tom has never even driven a car, and certainly not a lorry. That needs let alone. Leave alone means “not disturb”, as in Leave the cat alone, and it's never a link meaning “never mind”.
Describe something you don't have enough time or money for. First say that you can't even manage something small, then after let alone say what's even more out of reach.
This month I barely have time to cook dinner on weekdays, let alone go to the gym three times a week.
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