No/not

Question

1. Not eating orange is ok.2. No eating...Which one is correct? Thank you.

Fivejedjon · Accepted Answer

Not eating oranges is OK.

Onizo · Answer

Thank you.

1. Why plural oranges? What I have in mind is peeled, cut orange.

2. Then when do you use the "no+gerund" form?

CalifJim · Answer

onizoWhy plural oranges?

Either that or you need a determiner.

Not eating [an orange / the orange / this orange / that orange / oranges] is OK.

onizoThen when do you use the "no+gerund" form?

Mostly in imperative-like signs, where the meaning of 'no' is 'not any':

No smoking. (Not any smoking is permitted here.)
No loitering.
No parking.
No fishing.

In general, we use 'no' when the -ing form is more noun-like, 'not' when the -ing form is more verb-like.

CJ

Onizo · Answer

Thank you, CJ.

Here I meant generally peeled and diced orange. Since an orange is cut, the pieces sould be called orange, and since I was refering to not any specfic ones, It shouldn't come with "the" either.
For water, you can say, "not drking water is ok", and for your chicken dinner or any cooked ones, "not eating chicken is ok.", and why the generally diced orange pieces necessitate a determiner?

CalifJim · Answer

onizoHere I meant generally peeled and diced orange. Since an orange is cut, the pieces sould be called orange, and since I was refering to not any specfic ones, It shouldn't come with "the" either.

Your reasoning is correct. Nevertheless, when we read the isolated sentence Not eating orange is OK, we don't immediately jump to the conclusion that the speaker is talking about a diced orange because we hardly ever use the single word 'orange' in that meaning. Therefore, it sounds wrong even if it's theoretically correct. We prefer to add more words to clarify in cases like this.

Not eating any of this diced orange is OK.

More idiomatically, You don't have to eat any of this diced orange. (But then your question about the negation of gerunds is lost.

)

The same is true for most foods that can exist both as solid units and as cut-up parts.

CJ

Onizo · Answer

CalifJim Nevertheless, when we read the isolated sentence Not eating orange is OK, we don't immediately jump to the conclusion that the speaker is talking about a diced orange

Thank you, CJ.

This sentence was used for my son, and he knew what I meant; Now do you think it is ok to use "orange" with him?

Also you mentioned that you hardly use the word 'orange' for such meaning, then what do you say to others when offering a plate of sliced or diced apple, orange, or banana (Keep in mind that these are from one whole apple, orange, and banana only)

1. Would you like Some apple/orange/banana
2. some apple slices/...
3. Some apples/oranges/bananas
4. the apples/oranges/bananas

CalifJim · Answer

onizoThis sentence was used for my son, and he knew what I meant; Now do you think it is ok to use "orange" with him?

If he already knew what you meant, it doesn't much matter what you said. You could have said "cyclotron" instead of "orange". You could have said nothing and just pointed and gestured. But I don't think that's the question you should be asking. The idea is that that usage is not very idiomatic English.

onizoWould you like ...

... some [orange / banana / apple] slices?

This is the most idiomatic form I can think of when it's cut-up pieces of fruit.

CJ

Onizo · Answer

Thank you, CJ.

No/not

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