watermelon vs watermelons

[mdenglish]

Hello there

In which situation do you use

1. I like watermelons.
2. I like watermelon.

Thanks

mdenglish

[Jamie (K)]

It would be, "I like watermelon."

The reason is that when the watermelon fruit is whole -- has not been cut yet -- it is countable. You could say, "They stacked up several watermelons."

However, after the fruit has been sliced up for eating, it becomes uncountable. You could say, "There was a lot of watermelon on the table."

If you say, "I like watermelons," it means there is something you like about the whole fruit, such as the shape or color, or the noise it makes when you knock it.

If you say, "I like watermelon," it means that you like to eat it.

[Sultano]

Should it have been said " I like a watermelon" rather than I like watermelon?
WHICH IS CORRECT ? : I like banana.
I like bananas.
I like a banana.

[Barb_D]

Hi Sultano,
I like bananas. -- A general comment that you like to eat bananas. So do I.
I like a banana. -- This sounds ilke there is a particular banana that you are fond of - this is not a very likely scenario.
I like to have a banana as an afternoon snack. -- A frequent habit of mine is to eat a banana at that time.
I would like a banana. -- Right now, you want a banana to eat.

[nessie]

[Barb_D]

Actually, when Jamie was describing watermelon, I was completely in agreement with him.

Now I am trying to think why "I like watermelon" is general and "I like banana" doesn't work.

It must be because when we eat watermelon, or pizza or cake (to find other examples) we don't eat the entire watermelon and we don't eat the entire pizza/cake. When we eat bananas, we do eat the entire banana (most of the time).

I like watermelon, pizza, and cake. -- These become non-count nouns.
I grew a watermelon, a ordered a pizza, and I baked a cake. -- These are specific instances of these nouns as countable nouns.
I ate a watermelon, a pizza, and a cake -- This would require an enormous appetite.
I ate watermelon, pizza, and cake. -- This says you had some of each.
*I ate banana. -- We don't say that. I ate a banana or even I ate some bananas.

[nessie]