Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Sold out: say why there is nothing left to buy
It starts raining, so you go to buy an umbrella. The assistant says every umbrella has already been bought. The shop is open, but that item is gone.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
sell out
to sell the whole available supply of something, leaving none of it to buy
Example
“The shop sold out of umbrellas this morning.”
Customers bought all the umbrellas the shop had available this morning.
The short answer
If a shop sells all of an item, it sells out of that item. Use sold out for a past event: The shop sold out of umbrellas. You can also put the product first: The umbrellas sold out.
Sold out tells you the stock disappeared through sales.
Put the shop before sold out of, then name the item: The shop sold out of umbrellas. Of connects this pattern to the product. If the product is the subject instead, say The umbrellas sold out. Sold is the irregular past form of sell.
One event, two starting points
The shop sold out of umbrellas this morning.
The umbrellas sold out this morning.
An open shop can be sold out of one item while still selling many others. Sold out does not mean the shop is closed.
Explain the missing item
Name the seller
The shop
Add the sales result
The shop sold out of
Name the item
The shop sold out of umbrellas.
Try it now
Explain the stock situation.
Read all answers and explanations
Every umbrella was bought. Keep that cause clear. Choose the sentence.
The shop sold out of umbrellas.Sold out of says the available supply was sold. Closing or never receiving goods gives a different cause.
Complete: “The shop sold out ___ umbrellas.”
ofUse sold out of plus the product in this seller-first pattern.
Choose the correct past report.
The umbrellas sold out yesterday.The past form of sell is sold. With the product as subject, sold out can stand without of and another item.
Put it into practice
Fix the assistant’s message.
Keep the shop as the subject and umbrellas as the missing item. Replace at with the correct connecting word.
The shop sold out at umbrellas.
See a model answer
The shop sold out of umbrellas.
This is the clear seller + sold out of + item pattern practiced here.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Does sold out mean it will never be available again?
No. It describes the supply at that point, not every future delivery. Ask separately about new stock.
The umbrellas sold out yesterday, but more arrive tomorrow.
Can I use it for tickets?
Yes. If all available tickets have been bought, the event is sold out. That does not mean the event has been cancelled.
The evening show is sold out.
Take it into your day
The shop sold out of umbrellas. The umbrellas sold out. Both connect the missing stock to sales.
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