Meaning & use
soft fruit
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Meanings
noununcountableBritish
Small fruits that grow on bushes or canes and are soft when ripe, such as strawberries, raspberries, and currants.
Grammar: Used as a mass noun: you say 'a lot of soft fruit' or 'some soft fruit', not 'a soft fruit' when talking about the category.
Patterns
- grow soft fruit
- pick soft fruit
- soft fruit farm
We grow our own soft fruit in the garden—mostly raspberries and blackcurrants.
The farm shop sells fresh soft fruit in summer.
She made jam from a mixture of soft fruit.
nouncountableBritish
One particular fruit of this kind, especially when picked and eaten whole.
Grammar: Can be countable when referring to a single piece: 'a soft fruit' means one berry or similar fruit.
Patterns
- a soft fruit
- soft fruits
She popped a soft fruit into her mouth.
The children were told to pick only the ripe soft fruits.
Common combinations
- soft fruit season
- Soft fruit season starts in early summer.
- soft fruit farm
- We visited a soft fruit farm to pick strawberries.
- grow soft fruit
- It's easy to grow soft fruit in a small garden.
- fresh soft fruit
- The market had fresh soft fruit from local growers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- berries
- Berries is a narrower term for small juicy fruits, typically without stones; soft fruit is a broader British category that also includes currants and gooseberries.
Commonly confused: soft fruit or soft drink?
soft fruit vs soft drink
A soft drink is a cold, non-alcoholic beverage, while soft fruit is a type of fruit. They are not related in meaning.
Practice
In British English, which sentence uses 'soft fruit' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Soft fruit refers to small, soft fruits like berries, so picking them at a farm is correct. 'Soft drink' is the beverage, not 'soft fruit', and soft fruits are not large and hard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “soft fruit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.