Meaning & use
paper shop
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Meaning
nouncountableBritishinformal
A small local shop that sells newspapers, magazines, sweets and everyday items.
Grammar: Often used with the or a possessive: the paper shop on the corner.
Patterns
- the paper shop on something
I'll pop to the paper shop for a magazine and some milk.
The paper shop at the end of our road opens at six every morning.
She got her first job delivering papers from the local paper shop.
Word forms
| plural | paper shops |
|---|
Common combinations
- go to the paper shop
- Dad goes to the paper shop every morning for his newspaper.
- the local paper shop
- The local paper shop sells stamps too.
- paper shop on the corner
- There's a paper shop on the corner of the high street.
- work in a paper shop
- He worked in a paper shop on Saturdays as a teenager.
- paper shop owner
- The paper shop owner knew everyone in the street.
Synonyms and how they differ
- newsagent
- Newsagent is the more formal British word for the same kind of shop, and also names the person who runs it.
- newsstand
- A newsstand is American and is often a kiosk outdoors, while a paper shop is an indoor shop.
- corner shop
- A corner shop sells general goods, whereas a paper shop focuses on newspapers and magazines.
- convenience store
- Convenience store is the common American term and suggests a larger selection of food and drinks.
Word family
Commonly confused: paper shop or stationer's?
paper shop vs stationer's
A stationer's sells pens, paper and office supplies, not mainly newspapers.
Practice
In Britain, you would most likely buy the morning newspaper from a ______.
Choose one answer.
A paper shop sells newspapers. A paper mill makes paper in a factory and does not sell newspapers to people.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “paper shop”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.