The flowers were various colors.

[99bottles]

I'm not sure how to write the sentence below. I have two ways in mind, but I'm afraid that both of them are confusing.

The flowers were various colors. This might as well mean that each flower had many colors. But my intended meaning is that each flower was one color, but there were many colors overall.

Each flower was a different color. This might as well mean that each flower was a different color from any other flower around. But, in the scene I'm trying to describe, maybe there were, say, two yellow flowers, three green ones etc.

 

[Tdol]

There were flowers in many colours.

 

[Tarheel]

"The flowers were various colors" tells me that there were many flowers in a variety of colors.

 

[99bottles]

"The flowers were various colors" tells me that there were many flowers in a variety of colors.

You mean in a variety of colors each? Or in one color each?

 

[Tdol]

Given that there are better ways to express this, why stick to your guns?

 

[99bottles]

Given that there are better ways to express this, why stick to your guns?

There were flowers in many colors sounds equally confusing to me? It still sounds like each flower might as well have many colors.

 

[5jj]

... my intended meaning is that each flower was one color, but there were many colors overall.

... in the scene I'm trying to describe, maybe there were, say, two yellow flowers, three green ones etc.

I don't think you can do this in one short sentence in English. Can you do it in Greek?.

 

[Tarheel]

You mean in a variety of colors each? Or in one color each?

A variety of colors altogether.

 

[99bottles]

I don't think you can do this in one short sentence in English. Can you do it in Greek?.

I don't know how I would express that in Greek (good thing I have never needed to! ), but what matters now is to find a way to say it in English.

 

[Tarheel]

Some were white. Some were red. Some were pink. Some were blue. They were various colors.

 

[99bottles]

Some were white. Some were red. Some were pink. Some were blue. They were various colors.

So do I have to go into such detail?

 

[Glizdka]

I'd say that different is more likely to be interpreted that each individual flower was in one, homogeneous color, but they were not all the same color, and many is more likely to be interpreted that each individual flower was in multiple colors. I'm not sure about various, though.

"Flowers in different colors."
"Flowers in many colors."

Isolated sentences often have multiple possible interpretations. Surround them with context if you want to make them less ambiguous.

 

[Tarheel]

So do I have to go into such detail?

I think that would be helpful. You're trying to create a word picture for the reader.

 

[99bottles]

I think that would be helpful. You're trying to create a word picture for the reader.

Maybe I want the reader to imagine the colors themselves.

 

[Tdol]

Are the petals multicoloured, the flowers have different blooms, or are there different flowers together? If you want to focus on this, then you might want to be clear. If you just mean many colours, then you can sidestep the issue.

 

[Glizdka]

Maybe I want the reader to imagine the colors themselves.

Or, alternatively, you can dive deeper into madness and confuse the reader to the maximum by saying "There were various flowers, each in many different colors", and let them decide whatever they want to imagine.