Hi. I have a question about English article. What do you think about these sentences.?

Question

I am learning an English article now.

The Question is ,

1. There is an apple in my salad.
2. There is apple in my salad.

First sentence implies this apple is not cut and just placed an apple in the salad.

Second sentence means this apple is cut and a slices of apple.

What do you think about these sentences?
How do you feel?

Answer 1

Both of the explanations of meaning you gave fit and many would agree. Yet neither sentance directly denotates that the apple is either whole or somehow in pieces, though as you pointed out, the connotations can be swayed. And when you express your understandings of the sentances, as you could see by everyone's answers, we are all strongly pulled to agree that what you said is true.

The strongest difference of the two I would say is that the first indicates quantity (a single apple was used), while the second indicates quality (the salad is appled), while neither indicates the state of the apple (whole or cut). If you understood the sentances in this way I doubt you could ever be wrong in any situation. I have spent years of my life analyzing meanings and misunderstandings.

We generally assume a whole uncut apple is not in a salad, so this underlying assumption colors our understanding of both sentances. The first sentance makes me feel amused! The person could mean, as another poster indicated, that one whole apple was used in the preparation of the salad, and that the preparation diced, sliced, or chopped the apple in one way or another. Or they could literally mean, it's a single whole apple. We don't know for sure unless they say.

There is an apple in my salad doesn't imply whole very much to an average listener unless it's accompanied by a look of shock. If you had a whole apple in your salad, and someone said, "hey, what's in your salad" and you said "there is an apple in my salad", people would assume you cut up an apple and put it in your salad, unless they could see otherwise. If you started the conversation by saying, hey joe, there's an apple in my salad, we might think that you're pointing it out because you really like or dislike apples, but still assume it was cut. We might joke in response "a whole one?" and then be surprised when you actually said yes! and then laugh.

There is apple in my salad does not necessarily mean cut apple. If you had a whole apple in your salad (very funny!) and someone asked you, does your salad have apple in it? one would generally reply simply yes, and then possibly point out that it's whole, since this is an unusual aspect regarding what they just asked and we would know that unless we pointed out this part they would never think it was that way. To most english speakers this scenario wouldn't come to mind when pondering things the second sentance could mean, but if it occured, they'd use it.

All of the sense that the apple is cut up that the second sentance holds is in two things: 1) we naturally assume the apple is cut in the first place, and 2) we assume if you just started this conversation by simply telling us that there is apple in your salad, that you would have pointed out it was whole (since it goes contrary to what another english speaker would assume you understand to be their primary assumption about the apple).

If you started a conversation by saying that there was an apple in your salad, I think many people would pause to reflect and decide you meant a single whole apple that was cut up. This is because the assumption that a salad would not just have a single whole apple plopped into it is just too strong.

If you wanted to tell someone there was a whole apple in your salad, you definitely wouldn't say the second, but you probably wouldn't say the first either. You would have to say "There is a whole apple in my salad" to fully denotate such a thing. Without the word whole, people will tend to assume pieces either which way.

So the word "an" added to the first statement just indicates directly that there is exactly one apple somehow in the salad, not two or half of one, but exactly one.

These are literal interpretations used to describe how one could be misunderstanding the true meaning of the speaker. I do find the study of language is more deep (and interesting) in terms of what one could mean, versus what they 'do' mean, because the nature of language is such that one statement can convey different things in different contexts or mind sets.

--charlie

Answer 2

Yes, that sounds right.
Although, the first sentence COULD also mean the apple is cut, but stressing the point that only one and all of one apple was used.
For the second, I'd expect grated apple rather than slices. If it was slices, I'd more likely say (for example on a menu) "there are slices of apple".

Answer 3

I definately agree with you, the word "an" referes to a whole, a unit. Therefore, the first sentece refers as a complete apple in the salad and sounds like the apple doesn't belong there. While the second sentence refers to the apple as an ingredient, as part of the salad.

Answer 4

yes, you're right. The first sentence implies it's an entire apple. The second sentence means there is SOME apple, whether cut or grated.

Answer 5

well basically in simple plain english, these 2 sentences are same as well as different.

For your first question, there is an apple in my salad means that there is one apple in the salad and it also gives the impression that the apple is as a whole in the salad..

for your second one, well it states that there is apple in the salad and they are either diced or cut and is part of the salad

Answer 6

You're good! Apart from what the rest have said, no. 2 is more commonly used. For "an", the sentence can go "I have used an apple for my salad".

Answer 7

I agree. Non-cut/sliced/grated/pureed, and cut/sliced/grated/pureed.

Answer 8

Your analysis is correct. That said, the sentences don't make me "feel" anything, except maybe hungry.

Answer 9

Its true. U r good at English