paper

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A thin material made from wood pulp or plant fibers, used for writing, printing, wrapping, or cleaning.

   Grammar: No plural when talking about the material itself: a sheet of paper, not a paper.

   Patterns

   • a sheet of paper
   • on paper
   • paper bag

   She wrote the phone number on a scrap of paper.

   The printer is out of paper again.

   Wrap the gift in colored paper.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   A newspaper.

   Grammar: Countable here: a paper, the papers, today's paper.

   Patterns

   • read the paper
   • in the paper
   • a daily paper

   He reads the paper every morning at breakfast.

   I saw your photo in the paper.

   The local paper reported the story.

3. 3nouncountableformal

   A written essay or report that presents research or an argument on a topic.

   Grammar: Countable: a paper, two papers, write a paper on something.

   Patterns

   • write a paper on something
   • present a paper
   • a research paper

   I have to write a paper on climate change for my history class.

   She presented her paper at the conference.

   His paper was published in a scientific journal.

4. 4nouncountableBritish

   A set of questions used to test students' knowledge, or a student's written answers to these questions.

   Grammar: Countable: an exam paper, the history paper.

   Patterns

   • exam paper
   • history paper
   • mark papers

   The teacher handed out the exam papers.

   She got a high score on her biology paper.

   He spent the weekend marking papers.

5. 5nounpluralformal

   Official documents that prove who you are or give you permission to do something.

   Grammar: Usually plural: papers, one's papers.

   Patterns

   • identity papers
   • travel papers
   • show your papers

   The guard asked to see our papers.

   You need the proper papers to cross the border.

   Her immigration papers were finally approved.

Word forms

Common combinations

on paper

On paper, the plan looks perfect, but it may not work in practice.

paper bag

He carried his lunch in a brown paper bag.

paper towel

Use a paper towel to wipe up the spill.

write a paper

I need to write a paper on Shakespeare for my English class.

read the paper

My grandfather still reads the paper every morning.

Synonyms and how they differ

newspaper

More formal and specific than 'paper' when referring to a printed news publication.

essay

A short piece of writing on a subject, often less formal or research-based than an academic paper.

article

A piece of writing in a newspaper or journal, not a whole paper.

Word family

papery adjective

Thin and dry like paper.

paperback noun

A book with a soft cover made of thick paper.

paperwork noun

Routine written work such as filling out forms.

Commonly confused: paper or papers?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “paper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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