Is 'let alone' equal to 'even'?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

she can’t boil potatoes, let alone cook a meal.
Can I replace ‘let alone’ with ‘even’ in the sentence above?
Thanks in advance.

2

Let him be alone!
Even though he deserved it I can’t do it to him.

He wouldn’t survive let alone you think he could.
he wouldn’t survive even though you think he could.

let alone ~ even though

I wonder if I’ve got this properly.

Thanks

3

Not exactly.

“Let alone” means “much less”.

For example: he can’t cook at all, let alone cook such an exquisite and complex dish.
He can’t put two and two together, let alone solve such a complex equation.

I guess the pattern is obvious: you use “let alone” to deny something complex on the gounds that even something much simpler can’t be accomplished.

To recap my point, “let alone” doesn’t mean “even”, nor does it mean “even though”.

4

Let me elaborate:
to say nothing of : not to mention —used especially to emphasize the improbability of a contrasting example /he would never walk again let alone play golf./
Regards.

5

Thanks OTS.

Let me try myself so as to check if I’ve got it.

We can not ground handle ATR72 properly at this airport, let alone to ground handle Boeing 737-900.

This departure gate can not receive 70 people properly, let alone 180.

These tyres are not good enough when raining, let alone at snow.

This bike can not be driven nicely on asphalt, let alone at a mountain road.

Thanks

6

You have the right idea about ‘let alone’, E2, well done!

Your sentences contain other mistakes which you might want to know about:
no ‘to’ needed in the first one; ‘cannot’, not ‘can not’; ‘in snow’ not ‘at snow’; ‘on a mountain road’, not ‘at a mountain road’.

7

in snow! Snow always has some thickness, right? And many things sink into the snow.

But, do we ski in snow as well? Probably yes.

We are not able to ground handle…
I never use “cannot” form. What is “cannot” for you? A negative form of the modal can? Modals never change their forms and do not have negative forms, in my opinion.

Please give me also additional explanation why we do not need “to” after “let alone”
Should I have said " let alone ground handling [color=violet]of Boeing 737 series.
I actually want to ask if I should use a noun after “let alone”.

Thanks

8

in snow = in snowy weather.
We ski on or over the snow.

Yes, it’s negative. Its function is the same as the two word term you have used ‘can not’, but it is not spelled as a two way term in modern English usage. Of course, my experience is with British English but I believe that it is also a one word term in the US.

Yes, that’s what you should have said.