- Does «he is eating apples» make sense?
- 5 Answers 5
- EATING APPLE
- Meaning of EATING APPLE in English
- Еще значения слова и перевод EATING APPLE с английского на русский язык в англо-русских словарях и с русского на английский язык в русско-английских словарях.
- EATING APPLE
- Meaning of EATING APPLE in English
- Еще значения слова и перевод EATING APPLE с английского на русский язык в англо-русских словарях и с русского на английский язык в русско-английских словарях.
- An Apple a Day Keeps The Doctor Away
- Meaning:
- The Origin Of ‘An Apple a Day Keeps The Doctor Away’
- Does An Apple a Day Really Keep The Doctor Away?
- apple or an apple or apples
- Hiden
- owlman5
- Hiden
- Rover_KE
- owlman5
- Keith Bradford
- sound shift
- Sparky Malarky
- Hiden
Does «he is eating apples» make sense?
You use a plural count noun with no article if you mean all or any of that thing.
I don’t like dogs.
Do they have children?
I don’t need questions. Give me answers!
I don’t understand what «all or any of that thing» means?
The above guideline makes sense in general sentences such as «he likes apples» («he likes all apples in the world») or «he doesn’t eat apples» («he doesn’t eat all apples in the world»).
But, what about specific sentences? Let say, there is a man. He has 3 apples with him. He is holding an apple & eating that apple. These other 2 apples are on the table. Which would I say?
«He is eating some apples» sounds ok.
«He is eating 3 apples» could be wrong to me because he may eat up 3 apples but he may eat only 1 & then stop eating.
«He is eating apples» could mean «He is eating all apples in the world»
The above rule is ok for sentences refer to general things such as «He likes apples» or «He doesn’t eat apples» But is that rule ok for sentences refer to specific things such as «He is eating apples» or «I ate apples yesterday«?
So does the above rule only apply to some certain sentences?
5 Answers 5
The rule says to use the plural to mean either «all» or «any» of that thing. You have to figure out which of these from the context.
Someone ate the donuts (they ate all the donuts that were in a particular place)
I bought us donuts (I bought some quantity of donuts)
She hates donuts (She does not like (to eat) donuts of any kind)
Basic logic applies here. If a man has three apples and you say «The man is eating apples» it would be silly to assume he’s eating all the apples in the world. The more reasonable assumption is that he will eat at most those three apples.
Of course he could eat one, or two, or all three of the apples. The exact number is unspecified, and unimportant. The point is that he is eating apples, and not something else.
Outside the window, I see birds flying. (It doesn’t matter how many birds, just that there are birds)
My mother bought me shoes for my birthday (It could be one pair, or multiple pairs of shoes. Which is not important, the point is that I was given shoes)
This room is where they store computers before they sent to the customer (The number of computers is not important, only that this room is used for their storage).
First, “all of that thing” doesn’t mean “all the apples in the world,» as in “every single apple in the world.” The actual meaning is closer to «all kinds of apples.»
So, if I say, “He likes apples,” that means he likes all kinds of apples: sweet red apples and tart green apples; it means he likes Fujis and Galas and Empires, he likes Macintoshes, Golden Delicious and Arkansas Blacks.
More importantly, though “all kinds of apples” is a generality, not a strict mathematical truth. I may say, “He likes apples,” but that doesn’t mean he likes rotten apples.
So this conversion is perfectly normal:
Ned: Do you like apples?
Ted: I sure do!
Ned: Really? Take one of these.
Ted: No, thanks, I don’t like Granny Smiths.
Red: Oh, I thought you said you liked apples.
Ted: Well, I do. But Granny Smiths are too tart for me.
Ted wasn’t lying; he likes pretty much most kinds of apples. Ned just happened to have one of the few apples that Ted doesn’t care for. But it’s still not “wrong” for Ted to say, “I like apples.”
If there are 30 kinds of apples in the world, and you like 28 of them, it would be more inaccurate to say, “I don’t like apples.”
“He is eating apples,” just means he’s eating more than one apple, without saying much more about the apples. But it doesn’t mean he’s eating every apple in the room or at the orchard.
Источник
EATING APPLE
Meaning of EATING APPLE in English
■ noun an apple suitable for eating raw.
Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004
Еще значения слова и перевод EATING APPLE с английского на русский язык в англо-русских словарях и с русского на английский язык в русско-английских словарях.
More meanings of this word and English-Russian, Russian-English translations for the word «EATING APPLE» in dictionaries.
- EATING APPLE — noun ( BrE ) any type of apple that can be eaten raw —compare cooking apple
Oxford Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary - EATING APPLE — ˈeating ˌapple BrE AmE noun [countable] an apple that you eat raw rather than cooked ⇨ cooking apple
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - EATING APPLE — ( eating apples) An eating apple is an ordinary apple that is usually eaten raw rather than cooked. ≠ cooking …
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary - EATING APPLE — (
is an ordinary apple that is usually eaten raw rather than cooked. ? cooking apple N-COUNT
Collins COBUILD — Толковый словарь английского языка для изучающих язык
Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary
English-Russian-dictionary — Bed release
English-Russian-dictionary — Bed release
English-Visayan vocabulary
Источник
EATING APPLE
Meaning of EATING APPLE in English
ˈeating ˌapple BrE AmE noun [countable]
an apple that you eat raw rather than cooked ⇨ cooking apple
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Longman — Словарь современного английского языка. 2012
Еще значения слова и перевод EATING APPLE с английского на русский язык в англо-русских словарях и с русского на английский язык в русско-английских словарях.
More meanings of this word and English-Russian, Russian-English translations for the word «EATING APPLE» in dictionaries.
- EATING APPLE — ■ noun an apple suitable for eating raw.
Concise Oxford English vocab - EATING APPLE — noun ( BrE ) any type of apple that can be eaten raw —compare cooking apple
Oxford Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary - EATING APPLE — ( eating apples) An eating apple is an ordinary apple that is usually eaten raw rather than cooked. ≠ cooking …
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary - EATING APPLE — (
is an ordinary apple that is usually eaten raw rather than cooked. ? cooking apple N-COUNT
Collins COBUILD — Толковый словарь английского языка для изучающих язык
Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary
English-Russian-dictionary — Bed release
English-Russian-dictionary — Bed release
English-Visayan vocabulary
Источник
An Apple a Day Keeps The Doctor Away
Meaning:
The phrase ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away‘ means that eating an apple (or fruits and vegetables in general, basically, foods that are good for you) can improve one’s health and thus keep the doctor away.
To put it another way, a person who eats healthy probably won’t need to go to the doctor as often as someone who is eats poorly and is thus unhealthy.
Example: Ashley has a friend who rarely gets sick, and when she does, she handles it well. So Ashley asked her: “How are you so healthy?”
“Well,” her friend said, “as the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I drink plenty of water, I eat fruits and vegetables during the week, and I make sure to get enough sleep.”
Synonyms / Similar Phrases:
No similar or related phrases.
The Origin Of ‘An Apple a Day Keeps The Doctor Away’
The origin of this saying is believed to be from Wales, a country in Great Britain. There is an earlier form of this expression that goes: “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” The first known appearance of this earlier form is from a publication known as Notes and Queries from the year 1866:
“Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.”
The later version (an apple a day keeps the doctor away) that’s commonly used today looks like it took hold sometime during the early 20th century. I say this because that’s the earliest I could find it in print. For example, the later version appears in The Country Gentleman, 1913:
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
So in summary, this phrase is at least 153 years old.
Does An Apple a Day Really Keep The Doctor Away?
This phrase is a common one, and when some people hear it, they might wonder: Does eating an apple a day keep the doctor away forever? Well, no it doesn’t. While eating an apple every day can have health benefits (apples are a good source of fiber, for example), a person can still run into health problems even if they are eating healthy. Indeed, an apple every day does not make one immune to sickness.
Basically, the phrase is not meant to be taken literally. The idea this proverb is expressing is that eating healthier can help to keep the doctor away.
Источник
apple or an apple or apples
Hiden
Senior Member
I have a question for native speakers of English.
What kind of situation do you imagine fromeach of the three sentences below:
(1) I eat an apple.
(2) I eat apples.
(3) I eat apple.
Here is my first impression:
(1a) I eat a single apple whole.
(2a) I eat a number of single apples whole.
(3a) I eat grated, shredded, chopped or pureed apple.
I would greatly appreciate your insights.
owlman5
Senior Member
Hiden
Senior Member
Thank you for your reply, owlman5. If one cuts an apple into four pieces and eats them up, can he or she say «I ate an apple.» ? or does «I eat an apple» always imply that I eat an apple whole?
Rover_KE
Senior Member
Reactions: london calling
owlman5
Senior Member
You’re welcome, Hidenori. You can use «I ate an apple» if you cut an apple into sections and eat them all.
If you divided your apple into six sections, it would not make sense to say «I ate an apple» if you only ate two sections. Then it would make sense to say «I ate part of an apple.»
Keith Bradford
Senior Member
I would more or less agree with your solution 3a. The point is, saying «I eat apple» means «I habitually eat that apple-substance in any form — raw, cooked, grated. «
It’s a statement about dietary preference, not about present activity.
Reactions: krishnameera and london calling
sound shift
Senior Member
«I eat» describes habitual behaviour, not present activity.
— Do you eat anything on your way to school?
— Yes. I eat an apple.
— What fruit do you eat?
— I eat apples, bananas, oranges . most fruit.
I think 3a) is possible for me.
Reactions: london calling
Sparky Malarky
Moderator
«I eat _____» sounds perfectly natural to me, but it is unusual to hear it with «apple.»
Many people have dietary restrictions, either for health-related reasons or because of ethical beliefs. Suppose someone told you «I don’t eat dairy.» This means that they refuse all products made with milk. Why? Are they vegan? Vegans will not eat meat or eggs either. So you might wonder if your friend can eat something you have prepared that has egg in it. You ask her and she replies «Oh yes, I eat eggs.»
Maybe someone offers you a piece of cherry pie, but you refuse. On another day, they offer you an apricot cookie, but you don’t like apricots either. They offer you some peach jelly, but you say you don’t like peach. Your friend says «You don’t eat anything with fruit in it, do you?» You can reply «I eat apple.»
Hiden
Senior Member
Thank you very much, everyone. I’m sorry I couldn’t reply sooner. I haven’t checked this page for a while. You have been helpfull.
Источник
