Kind / Kinds

[jack]

Thanks.

[jack]

Do these mean the same thing?

1. What kinds of car do you have?
2. What kinds of cars do you have?

[Steven D]

Originally Posted by jack

Do these mean the same thing?

1. What kinds of car do you have?
2. What kinds of cars do you have?

Only use number 2.

It's not logical for "kinds" to be plural and "car" to be singular. The noun "car" is countable.

What kinds of fruit do you have? What kind of fruit do you have?

What kinds of fish do you have? What kind of fish do you have?

I believe I would use "kind" most of the time in my speaking.

If there is some sort of rule that calls using "kind" and not "kinds" informal, I'm not aware of it.

What kind of food do you like? food - not countable

What kind of vegetables do you like? - vegetables - countable - Use the plural form.

[Steven D]

Originally Posted by X Mode

They mean the same thing to me. If someone uses "kinds", then the emphasis is on more than one type of friend. However, using "kind" could still be taken to mean more than one type of friend.

I overlooked "kinds".

What kind of friends do you have?

or, "What kinds of friends do you have?"

but not, "What kinds of friend do you have?

[jack]

Thanks.

[jack]

In the second sentence, "friend" should be plural.

1. What kinds of friend do you have? (I don't get it. So is this wrong? Why does it have to be plural?)

Are these correct? What do these mean?
2. What kind of presents do you have? (Asking about the same types of presents?)
5. What kind of present do you have? (Asking about one present?)

What do these mean? I can't figure out the difference in meaning between them.
3. What kinds of presents do you have?
4. What kinds of present do you have? (If this is correct, why isn't #1 correct?)

5. What kinds of car do you have?
6. What kindsof cars do you have?

7. These kinds of film are popular.
8. These kinds of films are popular.

1 is incorrect, in needs to be 'friends'. You can't have more than one kind of friend if you only have one friend

2 & 5 are correct afaik, but 5 is pretty odd
2 assumes all the presents are of the same type
5 is asking about just one present

4 is incorrect for the same reason 1, if you're going to use kinds, you have to use presents. One present cannot be of two or more kinds.

5b is incorrect for the same reason as 1 and 4

[jack]

2 & 5 are correct afaik, but 5 is pretty odd
5. What kinds of car do you have?

1. What kinds of car do you have? (So this means you have differents kinds of car parts? What does this sentence mean?)

Are these correct? If not, why? What do they mean?
2. This means you have differents kinds of car parts of car. (I don't have a determiner between 'of' and 'car', does that mean 'car' is uncountable here? 'Car' as in not a whole car? What does this sentence mean?)
3. This means you have differents kinds of car parts of a car. (Car parts from one car?)
4. This means you have differents kinds of car parts of cars? (Car parts from many cars?)

[RonBee]

You can't say, "What kinds of car do you have?" Instead, you have to say, "What kinds of cars do you have?"

Originally Posted by jack

1. What kinds of car do you have? (So this means you have differents kinds of car parts? What does this sentence mean?)

your numbering is screwed up, you listed two sentences as '5'

if you notice, i said:
> 5b is incorrect for the same reason as 1 and 4

when i said 5 was ok, i was referring to this sentence of yours:
> 5. What kind of present do you have?