it's fruit / these are fruits

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi. I’ve read many posts about uncountable nouns, etc. but I still have some doubts.

A.
For example, when I show a picture with one apple, two oranges and three strawberries, what should I say?

  1. These are pieces of fruit.
  2. These are fruits.
  3. It’s fruit.

B.
And what if all fruit(s) is (are) cut? Should I say:
These are cut fruits.
It’s cut fruit.

C.
When I show an orange, for example, should I say:
It’s a piece of fruit.
??
Wouldn’t it mean that it is, e.g. a slice of fruit?

D.
What about a construction “a fruit”? Is it a short from “a type of fruit”. I found that in Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. There is an entry that says:
“apple [C or U] a round fruit with a firm white flesh and a green, red or yellow skin”

E.
when I show a picture with one apple, two oranges and three strawberries and I say:

  1. These are fruits. - Do I emphasize that there are different kind of fruit?

  2. It’s fruit. - Can it be used also in this situation. Would it be just a statement without the emphasis?

Could someone please explain all that?

2

A. All of them are correct. “Fruits” means different kinds of fruit.

B. We would say, “This is cut fruit.” You could also say “cut fruits”, if you mean different kinds of fruit.

C. “A piece of fruit” doesn’t usually mean a slice of fruit. However, it can mean one whole piece of fruit (one apple, one orange, one mango, one strawberry, etc.), or it can mean a slice in some situations.

If a child says, “Mom, can I have some candy?” and the mother answers, “No! Have a piece of fruit!” She means the entire apple or whatever it is.

If someone sees a slice of something and doesn’t know what it is, another person might tell him, “It’s a piece of fruit.”

D. Yes.

E. You say it’s fruit, unless you want to stress that it’s different kinds fruit. In that case you can say, “These are fruits,” but we’d be more likely to say, “These are different kinds of fruit.”

3

Thanks a lot for the answer :slight_smile:

4

Illuminating!Thanks!!! :slight_smile: