Rule out

Rule out

We have a phrasal verb for you today, and that is “to rule out.” What does it mean to “rule something out”? It means to eliminate that thing as a possibility. When we use rule out, we’re usually either making a choice or solving a mystery. In both cases, we have possibilities. And when we eliminate something as a possibility, we rule it out.

How did you hear it on today’s lesson? We were talking about the students who were killed on the way back from Lake Gatún. Six were found with gunshot wounds to the head. This is a mystery that must be solved: what was the motive?

Let’s start with all the possibilities and let’s see if we can rule any out. First, the motive could simply have been robbery. It could have been a robbery that went wrong. Can we rule that out? I’m not an investigator, but I would say we can probably rule that out. If you were two men with guns and you wanted to rob someone, I don’t know that I’d go to a lake where some students were swimming. I think we can rule out simple robbery. There is something more to the story.

Authorities in Panama have ruled out any connection to drug trafficking. I don’t know how they did that, but they ruled it out. They determined that the cause is not related to drug trafficking. They eliminated that possibility.

As they continue to investigate and gather more evidence, they will hopefully rule out other possibilities. Is it related to a relationship? Jealousy? At this point, we cannot rule that out. That remains a possibility. Is it possible that the six survivors collaborated with the gunmen to frame the person now under arrest? I don’t think we can rule that out yet, either. That remains a possibility. It might not be likely. That may not be what I really think happened. But I cannot rule it out. I cannot eliminate that as a possible explanation.

So that is how you use “rule out” in the context of solving a mystery. You identify all the possible solutions to the mystery. If you can eliminate a possible solution, then you rule that out.

It’s very similar with making a decision. I had a decision this weekend; I’m writing and recording this on a Friday, so the weekend is coming up for me. I have several options; let’s see if we can decide together what I should do. I had talked with some friends about getting together and watching the first baseball games of this abbreviated season. I’ve also wanted to go for a short hike one weekend. And of course I have a lot to do with Plain English. So there are three possibilities. Meet with friends to watch baseball, go for a hike, or work on Plain English.

Well COVID is getting worse here. And I was going to get together with friends in Ohio, about five hours away. We planned that about a month ago, when things were getting better. It seemed like getting together with a small group of friends would have been possible. But then the number of cases got a lot worse. It’s getting bad here again. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to travel out of state right now. So I think we can rule that out. We can eliminate that as a possibility.

I can go for a hike in the woods; that is certainly an acceptable option in this socially distant world. I wouldn’t encounter many people at all. But it’s going to be really hot and there are thunderstorms in the forecast. I’m worried that it wouldn’t be much fun if the weather is so bad. So I think we can rule that option out, too.

We started with three options. We ruled out two options, so now we have our decision. I’ll stay home and work on Plain English as I keep an eye on the first games. But I’m not ruling out the possibility of planning that hike next weekend, since the weather might be nicer a week from now.

JR’s song of the week

Time for song of the week, selected by our producer JR. It is “In The End” by Linkin Park, nominated by Michelle in Germany. We have a fun tradition here in the US, around election time. Politicians use songs at their events and the artists loudly insist that their songs not be used by politicians they don’t support, usually politicians on the right. And so it is with this one; Trump had been using this at his rallies and Linkin Park insisted that he stop. All in good fun, but Trump isn’t going to have a very long playlist this year, I’m afraid.

See you next time!

That’s all for today. I know we have a lot of listeners in Panama, so do let me know what you think about this case in our Facebook group or in the forums if you’re a Plain English Plus+ member.