Do you think sale and sell sound similar? Well, yes they do. Furthermore, they are both used in the same contexts. However, they are not the same!
But don’t worry, by the end of this article, you will master the use of both words! Keep reading to learn everything you need.
What’s a sale?
The word “sale” is always used as a noun, never as a verb. In this case, the word never changes!
A “sale” represents the act of something being sold (goods or services). For instance, when you go to the supermarket, you find products that are for sale for you to buy. And the supermarket sells its products to you!
“At the mall, all the clothing is for sale, so you can get some of it if you pay!”
“The sale of some drugs is strictly prohibited all over the country!”
“Sale” can also refer to the opportunity to sell something. For example, a sale was made quickly because world cup shirts are in great demand at the moment.
The sale also refers to an event, a noun to indicate there is an instance of selling. For example:
“We're having a garage sale to get rid of our old home items.”
“There's going to be a vegetable sale in the park tomorrow morning. They are always fresh there.”
Also, it refers to a price reduction event. This means items being sold at lower prices, like on Black Friday. Many of the stores will attract customers by having sales at a certain percentage lower than the original price.
Let’s see some examples:
“They’re having a 30% off sale.”
“We need to take advantage of today's sales.”
“The tech store has its annual sale next week. They always have excellent prices.”
“That store is having a massive sale, we need to go!”
Tip: when something is sold with a discount, you’ll see signs like “on sale”, “weekend sale”, etc.
Additionally, the word “sale” is used to mention a completed transaction or the total quantity of items sold by a company.
Let’s see:
“I made my first car sale today!”
“This year's sales are higher than last year’s. Congratulations!”
“We broke the record today at 150 total sales!”
Finally, it is used to refer to the department within a company. A sales department is responsible for selling products or services for a company. The department comprises a sales team that works together to make sales. Have you ever worked in the Sales or Marketing departments?
Sell me something!
“Sell” is most commonly used as a verb. This word also has a few different definitions:
“Sell” is a verb that can be used with or without an object. When used with an object, sell means to transfer goods or services to someone else in exchange for money.
The person or business doing the selling is called the seller. In a store, it is called the salesperson. For example:
“She said she wanted to sell her house.”
“My brother might sell his car.”
“She told me that she will sell me her car for $7,500.”
“They sold last Van Gogh’s painting for $777,000.”
As you can see in these previous examples, people are exchanging their possessions to receive money.
When ‘sell’ is used without an object, it refers to the actual process of selling something. For example, “now would be a perfect time to sell.” Here, it is not clear what is being sold.
“If you need money, why don’t you sell some of your things?”
“I think it’s time to sell.”
“Sell” is also used to persuade or induce others to buy something.
“I went to the electronic store, and they tried to sell me the most expensive laptop.”
Also, it is used to persuade someone to accept some proposal or idea or to be convincing. For example:
“He really tried to sell me on the plan.”
“My student tried to sell me some story about a traffic accident and delays.”
“I don't sell myself too well at job interviews.”
“Sell” can be used to express betrayal. For example:
“Other democrat party members accused him of selling the cause to the republicans.”
Sell That Pronunciation!
Regarding pronunciation, “sale” and “sell” have a minimal phonological difference. While “sale” contains the long “a” vowel sound, “sell” has the short “e” vowel sound.
A Summary on Sale
Among all the meanings of these two words, we can briefly say that, in general, “sell” is mostly used as a verb and “sale” is used as a noun all the time!
Keep trying to improve your skills, and don’t sell yourself to laziness!