soles
soles — adjective
- solespositive
- solesercomparative
- solesestsuperlative
1. used to emphasize that there is just one person or thing involved in a situation
used to emphasize that there is just one person or thing involved in a situation, with no others.
Allison was the sole survivor of the car crash on the highway.
The sole piece of evidence against Hamza was a single fingerprint on the glass.
sole + noun (evidence, survivor, reason, aim)
His sole reason for moving to Canada was to be closer to his grandchildren.
A single candle was the sole source of light in the old basement.
文法句型
sole + noun
用法筆記
This sense is always used before a noun — you cannot say 'The survivor was sole.'
常見錯誤
2. belonging or relating to one particular person or group and to no other; not sha
belonging or relating to one particular person or group and to no other; not shared.
Meera has sole ownership of the apartment after buying out her sister's share.
sole ownership / sole control / sole authority
The bakery holds the sole contract to supply bread to all local schools.
Asher's company was granted sole rights to distribute the drug in Southeast Asia.
The judge gave Valentina sole custody of the children after the divorce hearing.
- exclusive
very close in meaning; 'exclusive' can also suggest luxury or privilege
- undivided
used with attention, loyalty, or focus — 'undivided attention'
- monopolistic
formal; describes a company that controls the entire market
- shared
used by two or more people together
- collective
done by a group, with no single person having exclusive rights
文法句型
sole + noun
用法筆記
Like sense 1, this is attributive only — always comes before a noun. The difference is that sense 1 emphasizes quantity (one, not many), while this sense emphasizes exclusive access (mine, not yours).
常見錯誤
soles — noun
- solessingular
- solesesplural
1. the flat underside of your foot, from the heel to the toes, that presses against
the flat underside of your foot, from the heel to the toes, that presses against the floor when you stand; also the matching bottom layer of a shoe or boot.
Kemi stepped on broken glass and cut the sole of her right foot badly.
The soles of Erik's hiking boots were worn completely smooth after the long trip.
the soles of [possessive] [shoe type]
Yasmin could feel the hot sand burning through the thin soles of her sandals.
The old man's feet were so calloused that the soles felt like leather.
- bottom
more general — 'the bottom of the shoe'; less specific than 'sole'
文法句型
the sole(s) of + noun
用法筆記
When talking about feet, 'sole' is usually singular with 'of' ('the sole of his foot'). When talking about shoes, the plural 'soles' is very common ('the soles of the boots').
常見錯誤
2. a flat sea fish with both eyes on one side of its body, commonly caught and eate
a flat sea fish with both eyes on one side of its body, commonly caught and eaten as food.
Quinn ordered pan-fried sole with lemon butter sauce at the seafood restaurant.
The fishmonger recommended fresh Dover sole for dinner because it was caught today.
Dover sole / lemon sole / pan-fried sole — common varieties and preparations
Feng had never eaten sole before and was surprised by how delicate the flavour was.
Small soles can be cooked whole, but larger ones are usually filleted first.
- flatfish
general term for the group that includes sole, plaice, and flounder
- Dover sole
a specific highly-prized type of sole from European waters
soles — verb
- solespresent simple I / you / we / they
- soleses3rd person singular
- solesing-ing form
- solesedpast simple
1. to repair a shoe or boot by replacing the worn bottom part with a new one.
to repair a shoe or boot by replacing the worn bottom part with a new one.
The cobbler soled the old leather boots so well they lasted another ten years.
Brianna had her favourite walking boots soled and heeled at the shop on Main Street.
passive: have [shoe] soled — causative structure
The village cobbler still soles shoes by hand using nothing but a hammer and nails.
It costs about forty dollars to have a pair of dress shoes soled professionally.
- resole
the more common modern term; 'sole' is a shorter back-formation from 'resole'
文法句型
sole + noun (the shoe/boot)
用法筆記
This verb is almost exclusively used in the context of shoe repair (cobblers). The passive construction 'have something soled' is very common.