Different kind ( kinds ) of foods ?

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whl626

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The allergic reactions to different kind of foods OR kindS of foods ? Well, the little s added or omitted is really confusing :(
 

Marylin

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whl626 said:
The allergic reactions to different kind of foods OR kindS of foods ? Well, the little s added or omitted is really confusing :(

I would say "different kinds of foods".

the adjective "different" modifies the word "kind" and suggests a plural use.
 

Marylin

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Marylin said:
I would say "different kinds of foods".

the adjective "different" modifies the word "kind" and suggests a plural use.

also, foods is plural and that's another reason why I feel kind should be plural as well.
 

whl626

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Marylin said:
also, foods is plural and that's another reason why I feel kind should be plural as well.

Somehow I agree with your point. But the thing is as I searched along in Google, many people use either way in describing their articles. Of course, I conclude that those sites are from the native speakers ( webmasters ).

That means using the former is not wrong ? Or grammatically it is wrong but people tend to use it that way ?
 

Marylin

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whl626 said:
Somehow I agree with your point. But the thing is as I searched along in Google, many people use either way in describing their articles. Of course, I conclude that those sites are from the native speakers ( webmasters ).

Not necessarily, I think.
When referring to more than one group or more one type of things, I would go with a plural kind followed by a plural noun. The distinction is not always very clear though, so kind might work fine in both singular and in plural.

That means using the former is not wrong ? Or grammatically it is wrong but people tend to use it that way ?


I think it really depends on the context.

You can say kind of books as in I like this kind of books ( this type of genre)
or
kinds of books as in I like these kinds of books ( many different types of different genres for ex.).

In your original sentence the word foods already suggests many different groups, so that's why I feel comfortable with using kinds instead of kind.
I think it is a pretty complex question where a lot depends on the context.
 
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