Need grammar help. soul or sole?

[Zippy Chippy]

My girlfriend and I hate when people can't spell or use words incorrectly. For example her boss says "I got a bump rap" and "mind as well"

Today I told her someone said on IM "I wont tell a soul" and she said that was the correct way. I Googled it and apparently she's right, but shouldn't it be sole? Like a sole (single person)?

[GameTheory]

My girlfriend and I hate when people can't spell or use words incorrectly. For example her boss says "I got a bump rap" and "mind as well"

Today I told her someone said on IM "I wont tell a soul" and she said that was the correct way. I Googled it and apparently she's right, but shouldn't it be sole? Like a sole (single person)?No, soul refers to the soul of the person, in other words it just means person. Like many such phrases, the usage otherwise has gone out of fashion but think of phrases like "poor souls", etc.

My big pet peeve, especially on a gambling board where people ought to know better, is the spelling of "lose" as "loose". This one is becoming so universally used that we might as well give up and grant the misspelling "correct" status. (That's how things these change over time, after all.) I've even seen it in professional correspondence from doctors, etc.

[Zippy Chippy]

No, soul refers to the soul of the person, in other words it just means person. Like many such phrases, the usage otherwise has gone out of fashion but think of phrases like "poor souls", etc.

My big pet peeve, especially on a gambling board where people ought to know better, is the spelling of "lose" as "loose". This one is becoming so universally used that we might as well give up and grant the misspelling "correct" status. (That's how things these change over time, after all.) I've even seen it in professional correspondence from doctors, etc.

Game theory. We always say LOSE is the most misspelled word. So are you saying its sole? If so, we are in the minority

[GameTheory]

Game theory. We always say LOSE is the most misspelled word. So are you saying its sole? If so, we are in the minorityNo, I'm explaining why "soul" makes sense. Soul is correct, sole is not.

[thaskalos]

Game theory. We always say LOSE is the most misspelled word. So are you saying its sole? If so, we are in the minority
No Zippy...I'm afraid you are a minority of ONE...

Game Theory is agreeing with your girlfriend...

[Hanover1]

I won't tell a sole= I won't tell a one.....
I won't tell a soul= I won't tell an entity....
Pick your poison.

Lose= to not win, misplace.
Loose= Not tight.
How are we missing these??

[Zippy Chippy]

No, I'm explaining why "soul" makes sense. Soul is correct, sole is not.

Ok thanks. I still think its incorrect

[mostpost]

My girlfriend and I hate when people can't spell or use words incorrectly. For example her boss says "I got a bump rap" and "mind as well"

Today I told her someone said on IM "I wont tell a soul" and she said that was the correct way. I Googled it and apparently she's right, but shouldn't it be sole? Like a sole (single person)?
Soul is correct. Sole is not. What may be confusing you is that sole is used when referring to a lone something as in sole survivor. But in that case sole is being used as an adjective. In your quote, soul is used as a noun.

Now of course if you were promising not to tell "any of several varieties of edible flatfish" then sole would indeed be the correct word. :ThmbUp:

[Zippy Chippy]

I won't tell a sole= I won't tell a one.....
I won't tell a soul= I won't tell an entity....
Pick your poison.

Lose= to not win, misplace.
Loose= Not tight.
How are we missing these??

I think lose is spelled loose 75% of the time by the average person.

[bigmack]

Ok thanks. I still think its incorrect
Hard to believe knowing sole is either the underside of a shoe or a golf club or being the only one. "I won't tell a sole" makes zero sense.

[Zippy Chippy]

Soul is correct. Sole is not. What may be confusing you is that sole is used when referring to a lone something as in sole survivor. But in that case sole is being used as an adjective. In your quote, soul is used as a noun.

Now of course if you were promising not to tell "any of several varieties of edible flatfish" then sole would indeed be the correct word. :ThmbUp:

Thanks for pointing that out. Its weird when you think its spelled one way your entire life, then you learn something new

[GameTheory]

Ok thanks. I still think its incorrectSoul makes perfect sense (soul = person), and is has been used this way for ages. "Not a soul in sight." Whereas if you use "sole", you're missing a word, because it is an adjective. A sole WHAT?

"I won't tell a person" makes sense, right?

Does "I won't tell a single" make sense? Not really. A single what? How about "I won't tell any"? Any what? Sole doesn't work, just like these.

[thaskalos]

Soul makes perfect sense (soul = person), and is has been used this way for ages. "Not a soul in sight." Whereas if you use "sole", you're missing a word, because it is an adjective. A sole WHAT?

"I won't tell a person" makes sense, right?

Does "I won't tell a single" make sense? Not really. A single what? How about "I won't tell any"? Any what? Sole doesn't work, just like these.
On a similar note...which is more correct?

"The heel has no soul"...or "The heel has no sole"?

[mostpost]

On a similar note...which is more correct?

"The heel has no soul"...or "The heel has no sole"?
Please God, don't let Boxcar find this post.

[Zippy Chippy]

Soul makes perfect sense (soul = person), and is has been used this way for ages. "Not a soul in sight." Whereas if you use "sole", you're missing a word, because it is an adjective. A sole WHAT?

"I won't tell a person" makes sense, right?

Does "I won't tell a single" make sense? Not really. A single what? How about "I won't tell any"? Any what? Sole doesn't work, just like these.

I wasn't being sarcastic when I said I still think its incorrect. I for some reason am not grasping sole as an adjective, and its ironic and fitting that I laugh when people can't spell and im having trouble with this one.

[GameTheory]

Another weird (not "wierd"!) thing about words and my brain in particular is how we (I) put them in their own separate mental categories. Every once in a while I reflect upon a compound word that I've used my whole life and and discover it has a literal meaning I never realized. I was probably in my 20s before I realized "upstairs" and "downstairs" were literal descriptions of the action you needed to take to get to the upper or lower floor. In my mind, "downstairs" is a noun; it's a place -- "the bathroom is downstairs". Then one day I realized it is also literally down some stairs. Now in my 40s I'm still disentangling some of these and whenever it happens I can't believe I never realized their literal meaning before. After all, they are right there in the word, plain as day.

[GameTheory]

I wasn't being sarcastic when I said I still think its incorrect. I for some reason am not grasping sole as an adjective, and its ironic and fitting that I laugh when people can't spell and im having trouble with this one.
Sole is only a noun (that I know of) when it is on the bottom on a shoe. Otherwise, it is a sole something. Could even be a "sole soul".

[Zippy Chippy]

I think my problem is that its definitely an old timey saying :-)

[thaskalos]

Please God, don't let Boxcar find this post.
There is more than one meaning to the word "heel"...

[Tom]

There is more than one meaning to the word "heel"...

Heel and sole.
Heal your soul.

Your into something.

[Zippy Chippy]

Another weird (not "wierd"!) thing about words and my brain in particular is how we (I) put them in their own separate mental categories. Every once in a while I reflect upon a compound word that I've used my whole life and and discover it has a literal meaning I never realized. I was probably in my 20s before I realized "upstairs" and "downstairs" were literal descriptions of the action you needed to take to get to the upper or lower floor. In my mind, "downstairs" is a noun; it's a place -- "the bathroom is downstairs". Then one day I realized it is also literally down some stairs. Now in my 40s I'm still disentangling some of these and whenever it happens I can't believe I never realized their literal meaning before. After all, they are right there in the word, plain as day.

I agree! Downstairs in my mind is like a room.

[GameTheory]

Sole is only a noun (that I know of) when it is on the bottom on a shoe. Otherwise, it is a sole something. Could even be a "sole soul".Oh yeah, and the fish, as most pointed out.

[benzer]

When I want to eat some food, I sure would rather eat soul food than sole food. Actually on some words they can be intermixed without any party being wrong. In different parts of the country people just do things their way.

[Dave Schwartz]

I won't tell a sole= I won't tell a one.

Are we talking about fish here?

Hmmm... I'm getting hungry.

[chickenhead]

I thought forced air heating was four stair heating, until I was like 32. Never made any sense to me, but that's what everyone called it (so I thought).

Turns out they just sound exactly the same. EXACTLY.

[chickenhead]

about upstairs downstairs -- that is funny, I remember vaguely when that first dawned on me, how literal it was, I was just a kid but I thought it was funny, I remember thinking it was funny.

"I'm going upstairs"...and then I'd go walk up the stairs.

"where's your sister?" "She's upstairs."

It seemed goofy to say something so stupid.

[PhantomOnTour]

Most people say, "I could care less" when they should be saying , "I couldn't care less".
Contradicts the whole point.

[thaskalos]

I am amazed at the number of people who say..."I BORROWED him $20"...when they mean LENT.

[chickenhead]

I am amazed at the number of people who say..."I BORROWED him $20"...when they mean LENT.

Where do you live, roughly? I've never heard that.

People around here say they "made wood" -- as in firewood.

"Where were you today?"

"Oh, we went out to Jackwagon Mountain and made some wood."

Seems like cutting wood would be better. I don't know what you make wood out of. Paper, I guess.

[thaskalos]

Where do you live, roughly? I've never heard that.

People around here say they "made wood" -- as in firewood.

"Where were you today?"

"Oh, we went out to Jackwagon Mountain and made some wood."

Seems like cutting wood would be better. I don't know what you make wood out of. Paper, I guess.
I live in the Chicago-area...and I hear this all the time.

I am glad to see that it's not widespread though...:)

[PhantomOnTour]

Here in Cajunland they have a few funny phrases.
For instance...say someone found a pair of sunglasses. They would ask, "who are these glasses for?"....as in, "Whose glasses are these?"

Or the phrase "get down", which roughly means "to get out of your car"...
We went to Walmart but the parking lot was so crowded we didn't even get down. We just left.

If somebody is fond of something they might say, "I like that, me."

[Zippy Chippy]

Another one.

If you are sick, do you call in to work or call out? Its goes either way here (I say called IN) which contradicts what im actually doing

[newtothegame]

or how about..."making groceries".....
Used all the time here in louisiana, yet, not one of those souls actually MAKES the groceries!

[Zippy Chippy]

Everyone I've asked today thinks downstairs is a place (noun)

[DJofSD]

From the Bard: http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/brevity-soul-wit

[canleakid]

"Lose= to not win, misplace.
Loose= Not tight.
How are we missing these??"

LOSE = when the horse you bet on is out of the money :mad:

LOOSE = when your bet your entire bankroll and your horse is out of the $

:D :lol: :faint: