Combined

[ConnieUS]

Suppose there are 7 apples, 7 oranges and 6 bananas on a table. If I want to talk about the number of individual fruits:

"There are 20 apples, oranges and bananas combined."
"There are a combined 20 apples, oranges and bananas."

Are these sentences acceptable?

[Chicken Sandwich]

NOT A TEACHER

The first sentence sounds fine, but the second doesn't. In such a context, combined is used in conjunction with "of". I think the correct sentence should be: There is a combined of 20 apples, oranges and banans. But I'm not entirely sure, so perhaps a teacher can confirm this. I'm curious about this as well.

[emsr2d2]

Suppose there are 7 apples, 7 oranges and 6 bananas on a table. If I want to talk about the number of individual fruits:

"There are 20 apples, oranges and bananas combined."
"There are a combined 20 apples, oranges and bananas."

Are these sentences acceptable?

There are 20 apples, oranges and bananas in total.
There are 20 pieces of fruit on the table - a combination of apples, oranges and bananas.

With regard to Chicken Sandwich's post, I can't think of a situation where "combined" would be used in conjunction with "of".

[Chicken Sandwich]

With regard to Chicken Sandwich's post, I can't think of a situation where "combined" would be used in conjunction with "of".

I completely misread a dictionary entry. This is the sentence from which I drew an incorrect conclusion:

Her records have sold a combined total of 14 million copies.

But is the first sentence really wrong? Can't "combined" be used instead of "in total"?

[emsr2d2]

But is the first sentence really wrong? Can't "combined" be used instead of "in total"?

In my opinion, some version of "total" is required:

The total number of apples, oranges and bananas combined is twenty.

[ConnieUS]

Thank you for your replies, emsr2d2 & Sandwich!

So, this would be wrong too:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_Abrams#Operators

"United States Army and United States Marine Corps have approximately 8,725 M1, M1A1 and M1A2 variants combined in inventory."

[Chicken Sandwich]

In my opinion, some version of "total" is required:

The total number of apples, oranges and bananas combined is twenty.

I see. So if I understand correctly, this sentence, a modification of the second one, also works?

There is a combined total of 20 apples, oranges and bananas.

[BrunaBC]

There are 20 apples, oranges and bananas in total.
There are 20 pieces of fruit on the table - a combination of apples, oranges and bananas.

With regard to Chicken Sandwich's post, I can't think of a situation where "combined" would be used in conjunction with "of".

I've learned that fruit in uncountable, that's why you used 20 pieces of fuit (same as 2 cartons of milk, 1 slice of cheese...) But my question is:
Gramatically it's wrong to say there are 20 fruit on the kitchen table. But couldn't it be implied that I refer to pieces of fruit? (just like if I go to a bar and ask 2 beers?)

Thank you.

[5jj]

There are 20 apples, oranges and bananas in total.

That, and
"There are 20 pieces of fruit on the table - apples, oranges and bananas" are the most natural to me. 'Combined' and 'combination' both seem unnatural to me however they are used.

[emsr2d2]

I've learned that fruit in uncountable, that's why you used 20 pieces of fuit (same as 2 cartons of milk, 1 slice of cheese...) But my question is:
Gramatically it's wrong to say there are 20 fruit on the kitchen table. But couldn't it be implied that I refer to pieces of fruit? (just like if I go to a bar and ask 2 beers?)

Thank you.

No. If you don't want to specify the types of fruit you can say "There are three [different] fruits on the table". However, that still doesn't tell anyone how many individual pieces of fruit there are.