paper vs papers

[Tan Elaine]

Can the pieces of paper we write on be referred to as papers?

Thanks.

 

[Raymott]

Generally not. They are pieces of paper.

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes — or sheets/scraps of paper.

 

[GoesStation]

Not normally, but there are cases where they can.

"I wrote several pages of notes at the lecture last week. Now I can't find the sheets of paper that I wrote them on." You can't write the papers there.

"They said I had to bring my birth certificate and marriage certificate, but when I got to the office, nobody asked to see my papers." Here, papers refers to official documents. In many countries, police officers can demand documents from people. If that's happening in a foreign film, the sub-titles will have the officer say "Papers,​ please." This convention doesn't exist in any Anglophone countries I know of, but if it did, that's the phrase you'd expect to hear.

 

[kilroy65]

When students take tests or written exams, their teacher might say: "OK, students, time's up! Hand in your papers."

Note: Some ESL learners probably don't know that "papers" can also stand for "newspapers": "Do you have any papers to read?"

 

[bubbha]

In many countries, police officers can demand documents from people. If that's happening in a foreign film, the sub-titles will have the officer say "Papers,​ please." This convention doesn't exist in any Anglophone countries I know of, but if it did, that's the phrase you'd expect to hear.

I remember one time at San Francisco International Airport, an immigration officer said "Show me your papers." It's very unusual, because it sounds like something you might hear spoken with a German accent in a WWII spy movie.