to be for sale vs. to be on sale
– B2 (intermediate) –
Practice Your Listening Comprehension
Practice Your Reading Comprehension
It is a common mistake among English learners to confuse the expressions, “to be for sale” and “to be on sale.”
In Canadian English, these expressions do not mean the same thing. Typically, they have the following definitions:
to be for sale
to be available for purchase
EXAMPLES
“All the clothing in this store is for sale. The tables and shelves that are displaying the clothing, however, are not for sale; you cannot buy them.”
“In the past in Canada, alcohol was only for sale in specific stores called, ‘liquor stores.’ Now, however, some provinces allow you to buy alcohol in other places, like grocery stores and convenience stores.”
to be on sale
to be available for purchase at a discounted price
EXAMPLES
“So many expensive items are on sale during Black Friday and Boxing Day Week in Canada. You can really save a lot of money at that time if you do your research.”
“Sometimes if products do not sell well, they will end up being on sale to encourage customers to buy them.”
What kinds of products are commonly for sale where you live? Is there a particular time of year when things are on sale? Practice using these expressions by letting me know in the comments below.
