How are you?
I’d like to know if the word food is countable or non-countable. 'Cause I’ve seen two questions that drive me crazy, one says: What kinds of foods are healthy? and the other states: Do you eat healthy or unhealthy foods?
Another thing related to this. Is it “candy” countable or non-countable? ? 'Cause I’ve seen in a grammar book the word on the side of non-countable things. So, how come?
Thanks in advance!
‘Food’ can be both count and non-count, but in the case of it being countable, it means “a kind of___”
‘foods’ is countable.
‘Candy’ is non-count.
“Food” is uncountable and simply means food as a substance or material that you put in your mouth.
“Foods” means different types of food.
“Candy” is uncountable in general, but sometimes you’ll see or hear “candies”, which means different types of candy.
It works the same way with words like “fish”.
Could anybody put the word candy in both usages in sentences, as non-countable and the plural?
Thanks!
Too much candy is bad for your teeth. (non-count)
Hamm’s candies are the best in the word. (plural, but still non-count - meaning different types of candy)
I had 20 candies for lunch, and now I’m sick. (plural, count).
Note that the use of candies as a plural count, while grammatically correct, isn’t very commonly used, at least in American English. I don’t know how common it might be in British or Australian English.
I would never say that, because it would still mean different types of candy. I’d say, “I had 20 pieces of candy for lunch, and now I’m sick.”
I don’t think the British would use “candy” at all in that context. I think they would use the word “sweets”. However, I have no idea what word the British use when they want to talk about sweets.
so, would it be right to say something like this?:
I have 20 kinds of candies…or …I have 20 twenty kind of candy.
Thanks…
20 kinds of candy.