different kinds of fruit
different kinds of fruits
Which one is correct? Or both are correct?
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1 Answer
In the botanical sence, "fruit" is often treated as uncountable, so "different kinds of fruit" is certainly correct. It is sometimes treated as plural, so "kinds of fruits" is not grammatically incorrect, but is less common. The first form is preferred.
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I think the second one would sound better and be more correct as just "Different fruits", without "kinds of" Commented Jun 2, 2017 at 8:13
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@Jorge Urreta: "different kinds of fruit" is perfectly idiomatic, as James K says; also, "different fruits" doesn't have quite the same meaning as "different kinds of fruit".– TimRCommented Jun 2, 2017 at 11:31
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3@userr2684291: It depends on the context. But the basic difference is that kind is an explicit reference to the species or variety; without it, the difference could be of a different nature. For example, you could say We've been getting peaches from these two trees for years now. The one on the left gets sun all day, but the one on the right is shaded in the afternoon by that tall maple. They're the same species of peach tree, but they produce very different fruits.– TimRCommented Jun 2, 2017 at 12:16
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3@userr2684291: I gave an example where fruits was used to refer to the fruit produced by two trees of the same species. That does not preclude the use of the word fruits to refer to species, nor does it preclude the use of the singular fruit in that same context (it could have said "very different fruit"). The rule is not as hard-and-fast as you imagine it to be. fruits often means "more than one species of fruit" but it can refer to an actual plural of the same species. The word different makes a difference.– TimRCommented Jun 2, 2017 at 13:07
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1Compare: ...showy white fruits which remain on the tree well into December (The genus Sorbus: mountain ash and other rowans here: books.google.com/…)– TimRCommented Jun 2, 2017 at 13:27