in a sale

[Nefertiti]

1. The woman often stays late in a sale.

2. The woman often stays late on a sale.

What's the difference between 1 and 2 if both are appropriate to say?

Thanks

[Amigos4]

1. The woman often stays late in a sale.

2. The woman often stays late on a sale.

What's the difference between 1 and 2 if both are appropriate to say?

Thanks

Hi, Nefertiti!

What is the context of the word 'sale'?

Is the woman shopping for items that are on 'sale' (discounted prices)?

Or, is she a salesperson trying to make a sale to someone else?

Cheers,
Amigo

[Nefertiti]

Hi amigo,

Someone was asking the question. There's no context.

I guess it's the woman is shopping for items in a shopping mall.

So, it would be like 'the woman often stays late for shopping'.

Say if the woman stays late for shopping the sales items.
(discounted prices)

Is it OK to say, "the woman often stays late on a sale" or "the woman often stays late in a sale" or "the woman often stays late for a sale"? Any better suggestions?

Thanks

[Amigos4]

Hi amigo,

Someone was asking the question. There's no context.

I guess it's the woman is shopping for items in a shopping mall.

So, it would be like 'the woman often stays late for shopping'.

Say if the woman stays late for shopping the sales items.
(discounted prices)

Is it OK to say, "the woman often stays late on a sale" or "the woman often stays late in a sale" or "the woman often stays late for a sale"? Any better suggestions?

Thanks

Hi, Nefertiti!

* The woman spends a lot of time shopping for sale items.
* The woman is often the last person to leave a clothing sale.
* The woman often stays late at clothing stores to buy items on sale.

Obviously, the 'woman' loves to shop!!!

Cheers,
Amigo

[Nefertiti]

Hi amigo,

You wrote:
* The woman spends a lot of time shopping for sale items.
* The woman is often the last person to leave a clothing sale.
* The woman often stays late at clothing stores to buy items on sale.

_______________
1. Do all these three examples given mean the woman buys items at a discount rate?

2. Is it OK to say, "the woman often stays late at clothing stores to buy sale items"?

3. Is it OK to say, "the woman spends a lot of time shopping for items on sale"?

4. I guess that 'the woman often stays late on a sale" or "the woman often stays late in a sale" or "the woman often stays late for a sale" would be considered inappropriate, Am I right?

Thanks for the reply.

[Amigos4]

Hi amigo,

You wrote:
* The woman spends a lot of time shopping for sale items.
* The woman is often the last person to leave a clothing sale.
* The woman often stays late at clothing stores to buy items on sale.

_______________
1. Do all these three examples given mean the woman buys items at a discount rate? Yes! If the items are marked 'sale' they are discounted.

2. Is it OK to say, "the woman often stays late at clothing stores to buy sale items"? Yes!

3. Is it OK to say, "the woman spends a lot of time shopping for items on sale"? Yes!

4. I guess that 'the woman often stays late on a sale" or "the woman often stays late in a sale" or "the woman often stays late for a sale" would be considered inappropriate, Am I right? I would prefer to say that the sentences are awkwardly constructed. The listener would understand what is meant but it just doesn't sound right to the native ear.

Thanks for the reply. My pleasure!

`

[BobK]

Beware, Nefertiti. This is an area where there's a big difference between Am and Br English. In Br English 'on sale' simple means 'available for purchase [at a normal, undiscounted price]'. The American usage is beginning to establish a foothold among young people (if I were a chauvinistic guardian of linguistic 'purity', I would have used the more bellicose image of "bridge-head", but for me "foothold" will do ) by way of TV imports.

The expression 'on a sale' would be very rarely used - in contexts that used "sale" in the sense of a single transaction: "Sales staff will earn a commission on a sale worth £10 or more".

b

[BobK]

PS - having read amigos4's last

- whereas in Br English 'stays late in a sale' (or, more probably, 'stays late at the sales' would sound fine.

b

[Nefertiti]

Hi BK.

From Br English perspective, 1. what does 'the woman often stays late in a sale' mean? 2. what does 'the woman often stays late at the sales' mean? 3. Are they both common usage? 4. How come 'in a sale' is singular and 'at the sales' are plural? Is it OK to say, 'in sales' and 'at the sale' or 'at a sale'?

Thanks for the reply.

[Soup]

1. The woman often stays late in a sale.

2. The woman often stays late on a sale.

What's the difference between 1 and 2 if both are appropriate to say?

Thanks

It depends on the meaning you want to express. The phrase "on/in a sale" works if it means the woman is conducting business, she's making a sale.