I ate three apples in total.

[Hiikiii]

Is it okay not to count all the things? <——-Question from original thread title added to post by moderator (Florentia52)——->
I ate three apples in total.

Then, without “in total,” can I just say I ate two apples or I ate an apple.

 

[grassy]

I'm not sure what you mean. "In total" may indicate you didn't eat them all at once, for example.

 

[Hiikiii]

I'm not sure what you mean. "In total" may indicate you didn't eat them all at once, for example.

Yes, I ate a total of three apples. Can I just say I ate an apple?

 

[velisarius]

I don't know what the thread title implies.

We may use "in total" to make it clear that we mean "altogether", rather than "each day", for example.

"I eat two or three apples a week and four at weekends if I can't find any oranges or bananas. Last week I ate a total of six apples."

We don't have to say "in total", where did you get that idea? "I ate one/an apple".

 

[Hiikiii]

I don't know what the thread title implies.

We may use "in total" to make it clear that we mean "altogether", rather than "each day", for example.

"I eat two or three apples a week and four at weekends if I can't find any oranges or bananas. Last week I ate a total of six apples."

We don't have to say "in total", where did you get that idea? "I ate one/an apple".

Because there are countless things in the world but people just say there are three things or there are four things. I found that I don’t need to count all the things.

 

[PaulQ]

Because there are countless things in the world but people just say there are three things or there are four things. I found that I don’t need to count all the things.

The meaning of "in total" is "if you add all of them together, from the start until now."

A: How many apples have you picked?"
B: "Ten."
A: "Ten! You have been here 2 hours and you have only picked ten!"
B: "No. I thought you meant 'How many apples have you picked from this tree.' You should have asked 'How many apples have you picked in total?'! I have picked 523 apples in total."

 

[Hiikiii]

The meaning of "in total" is "if you add all of them together, from the start until now."

A: How many apples have you picked?"
B: "Ten."
A: "Ten! You have been here 2 hours and you have only picked ten!"
B: "No. I thought you meant 'How many apples have you picked from this tree.' You should have asked 'How many apples have you picked in total?'! I have picked 523 apples in total."

Thank you. Then can I say I’ve picked ten apples and I’ve picked five apples but I’ve pick 523 apples in total in the same paragraph?

 

[PaulQ]

I’ve picked ten apples from that tree and I’ve picked five apples from that tree, but I have been picking apples for 3 hours and I’ve picked 523 apples in total.

 

[Hiikiii]

I’ve picked ten apples from that tree and I’ve picked five apples from that tree, but I have been picking apples for 3 hours and I’ve picked 523 apples in total.

Can I omit “from that tree”? Because I want to make rhythmic structure.

I’ve picked ten apples from that tree and I’ve picked five apples from that tree, but I have been picking apples for 3 hours and I’ve picked 523 apples in total.

I want to say like this.

I picked out three apples, I picked out four apples, and finally, I picked out five apples.

 

[Cagey]

I want to say like this.

I picked out three apples, I picked out four apples, and finally, I picked out five apples.

If you want to say that you picked out a total of 12 apples, that is fine.

If you went on to pick out six more apples, but don't mention that fact, this will be regarded as a dishonest statement. It's the sort of thing done by dishonest politicians and children who don't want to admit that they took more candy than they should have.

Otherwise, when we report only part of what was done, we mark the count as incomplete --- three apples so far/ three apples up to that point / at least three apples, and so on.

Like the others, I am having difficulty understanding the focus of your question.

 

[Hiikiii]

If you want to say that you picked out a total of 12 apples, that is fine.

If you went on to pick out six more apples, but don't mention that fact, this will be regarded as a dishonest statement. It's the sort of thing done by dishonest politicians and children who don't want to admit that they took more candy than they should have.

Otherwise, when we report only part of what was done, we mark the count as incomplete --- three apples so far/ three apples up to that point / at least three apples, and so on.

Like the others, I am having difficulty understanding the focus of your question.

No, your answer answers my question perfectly.