• Exciting news! With our new Ad-Free Premium Subscription you can enjoy a distraction-free browsing experience while supporting our site's growth. Without ads, you have less distractions and enjoy faster page load times. Upgrade is optional. Find out more here, and enjoy ad-free learning with us!

Do you want to eat apple or drink beer?

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

Anonymous

Guest
Which one is correct? Which one is habitually used by native speakers?
The first one is what I want to know, apple or beer, regardless of quantity.


1. Do you want to eat apple or drink beer?

2. Do you want to eat an apple or drink a beer?
(It seems I am not generous.)

3. Do you want to eat apples or drink beers?
(What if I have only one of each.)

Thanks!
 

Red5

Webmaster, UsingEnglish.com
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
I think it would depend on the situation (ie, how many apples and beers you have).

I don't think many people would say "Do you want to eat apple".

;-)
 

Tdol

Editor, UsingEnglish.com
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
'Apple'is countable, but beer can be countable or uncountable depending on whether you are thinking of it as a fluid or as a measure, like a can or glass.
1. Do you want to eat an apple or drink beer?

2. Do you want to eat an apple or drink a beer?
(It seems I am not generous.)

3. Do you want to eat apples or drink beers?
(What if I have only one of each.- Then use #2, or offer them both an apple and a beer) ;-)
 

MikeNewYork

VIP Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Anonymous said:
Which one is correct? Which one is habitually used by native speakers?
The first one is what I want to know, apple or beer, regardless of quantity.


1. Do you want to eat apple or drink beer?

2. Do you want to eat an apple or drink a beer?
(It seems I am not generous.)

3. Do you want to eat apples or drink beers?
(What if I have only one of each.)

Thanks!

I prefer beer to apples, thanks. :roll:
 

Tdol

Editor, UsingEnglish.com
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
Why not compromise and have some cider? ;-)
 

MikeNewYork

VIP Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
tdol said:
Why not compromise and have some cider? ;-)

Hmmmm. :roll:
 

Tdol

Editor, UsingEnglish.com
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
Scrumptious scrumpy. ;-)
 

Red5

Webmaster, UsingEnglish.com
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
But, if you had a choice of two things, such as apple or rhubarb crumble, the following would be possible:

A: I don't like rhubarb crumble.

B: Do you want apple then?
 

Casiopea

VIP Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Member Type
Other
Anonymous said:
Which one is correct? Which one is habitually used by native speakers?
The first one is what I want to know, apple or beer, regardless of quantity.


1. Do you want to eat apple or drink beer?

2. Do you want to eat an apple or drink a beer?
(It seems I am not generous.)

3. Do you want to eat apples or drink beers?
(What if I have only one of each.)

Thanks!

Sentence 1. is ungrammatical. Try, Do you want to eat apples or drink beer? Sentence 2. sounds fine. You do not sound as if you're not being generous.

Example
Max: Let's stop and have a bite to eat.
Sam: I can't. I didn't bring any money with me.
Max: Well, let's see, I've an apple and a beer in my sack. Do you want to eat an apple or drink a beer?

Sentence 3 sounds odd. Do you want to eat apples sounds ok. It's the drink beers that seems odd. Drink beer is better, like this,

Do you want to drink beer? wherein 'beer' is viewed as a non-count noun.

More naturally, Do you feel like an apple or a beer?, which means, Do you want an apple/apples to eat or beer/beers to drink? Notice I placed the verbs at the end of the noun phrases. :wink:

All the best,
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top