English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose
LEAF or LEAVE?
Professor Wale Adegbite is a committed academic. Young people can ~take a leave~ from his book (nonstandard).
Professor Wale Adegbite is a committed academic. Young people can *take a leaf* from his book (standard).
If you take a leaf from someone’s book you behave in the same way as them because you want to be like that person or as successful as they are.
He accepted his mistake and promised to ~turn over a new leave~ (nonstandard).
He accepted his mistake and promised to *turn over a new leaf* (standard).
If you say that you are going to turn over a new leaf, you mean that you are going to start to behave in a better or more acceptable way.
He took ~leaf of~ his own town (nonstandard).
He took *leave of* his own town (standard).
To take leave of someone/somewhere is to depart from them.
GAB
