I think it’s time for another phrasal verb today, so I’d like to write about “live up to”. This is used when we want to talk about fulfilling another person’s expectation or following their example. For example:
My father has such high expectations for success. I could never live up to his expectations.
My father’s expectations for success can never be lived up to. (passive voice)
My mother is an amazing woman. I’ve tried hard all my life to live up to her example.
My idol is Nelson Mandela. Whenever I’m in a difficult situation, I try to live up to his example and rise above my anger and frustration.
So, as you can see from these examples, the person that you are trying to live up to is usually a high status person like a parent, teacher, politician, celebrity, etc.
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