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If we cut an apple into two slices, what should we say?

an apple.

or

some apple

Apple with segment cut out

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  • Usually, you say a slice of cake, a slice of lemon, a slice of apple, etc.
    – Khan
    Commented Oct 17, 2016 at 8:54
  • no, my question is that which one is correct? an apple or some apple. I don't know to use which one. some or an?
    – user123
    Commented Oct 17, 2016 at 9:15
  • an apple is more common and idiomatic.
    – Khan
    Commented Oct 17, 2016 at 10:03
  • @khan even if it cut into two slices?
    – user123
    Commented Oct 17, 2016 at 10:14
  • 1
    You should give a sentence or a situation where you are going to use it.
    – V.V.
    Commented Oct 17, 2016 at 11:05

2 Answers 2

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some apple (singular) : the apple has been diced (or some apples have been diced) and the chopped fruit is not countable

some apple slices : slices of apple

an apple : a single whole apple

half (of) an apple : one half of an apple

an apple halved: an apple cut into two equal pieces

an apple quartered: an apple cut into four equal pieces

Your picture shows an image for which there is no precise word. We would have to say something like "An apple with a quarter (of it) cut out".

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  • Also, "some apple" could be used when you just want some apple, without being specific about one, one-and-a-half, just a half, etc. Your emphasis on diced above implies that this is required to use "some apple". Perhaps add "has been, for example, diced"?
    – John Burger
    Commented Oct 18, 2016 at 7:28
  • I'm not sure I'd agree, John. If there are a bowl of whole apples, one wouldn't ask for "some apple". The word "some" requires the apples to be cut in some manner, so that they can be referred to as an uncountable. If people are sitting around a table and adding various ingredients to their own salads, say, and there happen to be some sliced apples in a bowl on or a plate, one might say "Please pass the apple" and thereby refer to the apple slices as one of the salad ingredients, but "Please pass the apples" is far more likely, IMO, even though they have been sliced.
    – TimR
    Commented Oct 18, 2016 at 11:22
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enter image description here

This is the image of an apple cut into half.

There are two apple halves, or two halves of an apple. (They mean exactly the same)
We can count the number of apple pieces.
A person might ask for half an apple.

enter image description here

This is a picture of some apple slices.
We can also say some sliced apples, if we know more than one apple has been sliced.
It's not easy to count all the slices, so it's just quicker to say some.
You could also ask for some apple if you wanted more than two slices or pieces.

enter image description here

This is a picture of a single apple and a quarter slice. As you can see, the apple is not cut into two slices. The apple has not been cut into four quarters. (Alternatively) It has not been quartered.
Although we can see it is countable, some people might ask for some apple, or ask for the larger/smaller piece.

slice
a flat, often thin, piece of food that has been cut from a larger piece:
cucumber/lemon slices
Layer the pasta with slices of tomato.
Could you cut me a smaller slice?

quarter (noun)
one of four equal or almost equal parts of something; ¼:
He cut the orange into quarters.

quarter (verb)
[ Transitive; often passive ] to cut something into four parts
to divide something into four pieces of approximately the same size:
Peel and quarter the tomatoes and put them in the stew.
Cambridge Dictionary

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