He kept the penny for the rest of his life.

Meaning: The boy had the coin in his possession for the remaining part of his existence as an individual human being.

Choice of Words: Kept means to have something in one's possession. Rest means the remaining part of something. Life is the existence of an individual human being or animal.

Alternative Expressions

He saved the penny for the rest of his life.

Meaning: This means that he kept the penny for all the time that he was alive. It's like saying, He kept the penny until the day he died.

Choice of Words: The word saved means to keep something for later use or to prevent it from being lost or used up. Penny is a small coin worth one cent. Rest means the remaining time or amount of something. Life is the period of time that a person or animal is alive. When you put them together, "He saved the penny for the rest of his life" means that he kept the penny for all the remaining time that he was alive.

He held onto the penny for the rest of his life.

Meaning: This means that he kept the penny for all the time that he was alive. It's like saying, He kept the penny until the day he died.

Choice of Words: The word held means to keep something in your hand or to keep it in your possession. Penny is a small coin worth one cent. Rest means the remaining time or amount of something. Life is the period of time that a person or animal is alive. When you put them together, "He held onto the penny for the rest of his life" means that he kept the penny for all the remaining time that he was alive.

Related Expressions