[General] fork with three tines

[Silverobama]

Hi.

I went by a store today and the kitchen tools there were on discount today. I bought a fork with three heads for 2 yuan. I then said to myself "I bought a kitchen fork with three tines".

I usually speak English to myself to improve. If I notice any mistakes, I'll write them down and ask.

Is my italic sentence okay?

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes, but the one with 'heads' is wrong.

 

[Silverobama]

How about "I bought a kitchen fork of three tines"? I think it's also okay.

 

[GoesStation]

How about "I bought a kitchen fork of three tines"? I think it's also okay.

No. But you could say I bought a three-tined kitchen fork.

 

[Rover_KE]

You could also say a kitchen fork with three prongs/a three-pronged kitchen fork.

 

[emsr2d2]

In the UK, most people say that forks have prongs. There's nothing wrong with the word "tine" - it's just less common than "prong" (in my experience).

As Rover said, your sentence with "heads" is wrong. The head of a fork is where the prongs/tines are.

 

[GoesStation]

I think American usage strongly favors tines.

Silver, make sure you don't go shopping for double-pronged forks without your lady friend. She might think you're two-tining her.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Four tines: fork.

Three tines: threek?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

In the UK, most people say that forks have prongs. There's nothing wrong with the word "tine" - it's just less common than "prong" (in my experience).

As Rover said, your sentence with "heads" is wrong. The head of a fork is where the prongs/tines are.

Never in my life have I heard a tine called a prong.

I need to get out more.

 

[SoothingDave]

Prongs are bigger.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Prongs are bigger.

Yup. Pitchforks have prongs.

 

[emsr2d2]

Prongs are bigger.

Yup. Pitchforks have prongs.

Not necessarily, in BrE.

https://onthegas.org/cutlery/3-prong-fork-vs-4-prong-fork

 

[GoesStation]

I think that in American English, prongs have a round or oval cross-section while tines are more or less flat (though usually with rounded edges).

 

[jutfrank]

As a Brit, I make the same distinctions between prongs and tines as the US members above.

I don't think this difference has anything to do with language varieties.