 25 English Expressions with the word paper from espressoenglish.net Category 1 is paper, the material. One unit of paper is called a sheet of paper or a piece of paper. If the paper has horizontal lines for writing, it's called lined paper or notebook paper. And if it's divided into little squares, it's called graph paper. Some other special types of paper are wax paper, which is used in baking and cooking, wrapping paper, which is decorated and used to wrap gifts, paper towels, which are usually used in the kitchen, and toilet paper, which is used for personal hygiene in the bathroom. Here are three actions you can do with paper. You can fold a piece of paper, crumple up a piece of paper, or rip or tear a piece of paper. If you rip or tear a piece of paper up into small pieces, these are called scraps of paper. Sometimes we use the word paper as a short form for newspaper. For example, did you read today's paper? The TV guide is published in the Sunday paper. The scandal was all over the papers. This means multiple newspapers. My brother writes for the local paper. Another way to use the word papers is to mean official documents. This is often used for documents involving identification, immigration, import or export, divorce, dismissal, and other official transactions. For example, we had to show the immigration agent our papers. The divorce is almost finalized. We just need to sign the papers. Exporting goods is easier if you have all the papers in order. In order, in this case means correct and organized. She got her walking papers last week. Now she's looking for a new job. Walking papers is a slang term for a written notice of dismissal from your job. And finally, the word paper can refer to a piece of academic writing. For example, teachers often ask students to write a paper as an assignment for class. If the writing assignment requires research or investigation, it is called a research paper. The students turn in their papers. They give them to the teacher. The teacher grades the papers, evaluates them and gives an official rating, and then hands the papers back, returns them to the students. The word paper can also refer to an academic article published in an official professional journal. Scholars may write a first draft of the paper and have their colleagues review it and make suggestions for improvement. They can then send in the final draft of the paper for publication. After the paper is published, other professionals or scientists can discuss the paper. And the original writer might also have the chance to present the paper at a conference. If you want to learn more English collocations, visit espressoenglish.net to get the e-book 1000 English Collocations in 10 minutes a day. It will help you learn common combinations of English words, and it includes practice exercises to help you remember them. Visit espressoenglish.net, click on e-books and look for the 1000 English Collocations e-book. I know you'll enjoy it!