Vocabulary · Free lesson
TOEIC reading practice: canceled or a no-show?
Two customers do not attend the same workshop. One canceled; the other never contacted the organizer. Their absence is similar, but the booking status can differ.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
Cancel means end an arrangement. A no-show is someone expected who does not arrive, or that failure to arrive. Missing an appointment does not prove you canceled it. Read the notice to see how it classifies a late cancellation.
Check the cancellation action, not only the absence.
Original workshop policy: Cancel by noon for a standard cancellation. Cancellations after noon but before the session starts are marked late cancellations. An absent attendee who has not canceled before the session starts is marked a no-show. Under this fictional policy, canceling at 1 p.m. before a 3 p.m. session is late cancellation, not a no-show.
Compare the examples
I canceled my reservation at 10 a.m.
I canceled at 1 p.m. for the 3 p.m. session.
I did not attend or cancel before the session started.
The noun cancellation keeps two l letters in American English. The usual American verb spellings are canceled and canceling. A no-show is a noun; did not show up is a verb phrase.
Build the meaning step by step
Find the action
I canceled my reservation.
Compare its time with the rule
Cancellations after noon but before the session starts are marked late cancellations.
Do not invent a consequence
The policy does not mention a fee.
Try it now
Apply the fictional workshop policy
Read all answers and explanations
The session starts at 3 p.m. Alex canceled at 10 a.m. Which category applies under the policy above?
Standard cancellation10 a.m. is before noon, so this is a standard cancellation.
The session starts at 3 p.m. Jo canceled at 1 p.m. Which category applies?
Late cancellationJo canceled after noon but before the start. The supplied rule calls that a late cancellation.
Does the policy tell you the fee for a no-show?
No, no fee is stated.No fee is stated. Neither a charge nor free cancellation can be inferred.
Put it into practice
Correct the reservation note
The 3 p.m. session has ended. Sam neither attended nor canceled before it began. Use the same fictional policy to correct this note.
Sam had a standard cancellation.
See a model answer
Sam was a no-show: Sam missed the session and had not canceled before it began.
Do not add a fee, refund or reason for the absence. The notice supports only the status.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Is a late cancellation always a no-show?
No. Read the organization’s definition. The fictional policy here separates them, but another policy may group them together.
Late cancellations and no-shows are listed separately.
How do I use no-show in a sentence?
Use it as a noun for a person or an absence. To describe the action with a verb phrase, say did not show up or did not arrive.
The guest was a no-show. The guest did not show up.
Take it into your day
Cancellation is an action; no-show concerns expected attendance. Apply the exact policy.
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