What is this called in English?
1) page
2) sheet
3) blank page
I'm a little confused about the acceptable name.
Context: "Do you want one (here is one of this three options) to write down the exercise?"
asked Nov 7, 2015 at 22:50
-
1So... technically, it's a sheet of lined notebook paper. It's not blank. It hasn't been written on but it's definitely not blank.– CatijaNov 9, 2015 at 19:55
-
Usually, they are yellow with green lines and are called legal pads. Your test is not very good. A lined, blank sheet of paper.– LambieAug 23, 2021 at 15:32
Add a comment
|
6 Answers
Are you talking about a single piece of paper, that's not attached to a book? If so, don't use either "page" or "blank page", because a page is a sheet of paper bound inside a book. Technically, a page of paper is only one side of a sheet. If you wanted to talk about the sides of a single loose piece of paper, you'd just say the "side of the paper". Thus "page" is not used in the context of single pieces of paper.
You could use:
- (blank) sheet of paper
- (blank) piece of paper
And because "sheet" is so specific of a word, sometimes people drop "of paper" in "sheet of paper"
- (blank) sheet
I guess you could technically do the same with "piece of paper", but "piece" is too vague, so people don't usually drop "of paper".
P.S. Wikipedia tells me the technical term is a "leaf of paper", but nobody says that in daily use.
answered Nov 7, 2015 at 23:20
-
-
2No, I don't think people say that. If I heard "blank" used as a noun, I'd think of one of these: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_(cartridge) Nov 7, 2015 at 23:35
-
2I had to laugh at "leaf of paper". Just goes to show that Wikipedia is not always a good source! Senjougahara is quite correct in saying "nobody says that"!– Mark G BNov 8, 2015 at 2:59
-
1You may see "leaf" used as a verb: "He leafed through the book." But I don't think it's commonly used as a noun outside of specialized industries that deal with paper (publishing, manufacturing, etc.).– KevinNov 8, 2015 at 3:46
-
@kevin not sure how common it is now, but the phrase "turn over a new leaf" isn't too obscure and refers to this meaning of "leaf"– pingNov 20, 2015 at 1:36
In American English, one would most likely say
Do you want a (blank) piece of paper.
or
Do you want a (blank) sheet of paper.
Notice I said a and not one. When we are offering people just one of a particular thing, we usually say/use the indirect article if we name the thing, as in this case. If we don't name the thing, we say Do you want one?
Note that the object shown in the photo is also called a (blank) page, but one would not ordinarily ask for a page in your context.
The object is also one piece/sheet/page of loose leaf paper if all the pieces/sheets/pages are separate and not attached to each other, as they are in a bound notebook.
-
1I don't think "page" actually works in this context. Pages are a single side of a sheet of paper. I think OP is talking about the entire sheet. I don't think anyone would ask to be given "3 pages of paper". Nov 7, 2015 at 23:38
-
1One definition of page is 'a single side of a sheet of paper'. Another definition of page is 'a sheet of paper'. See MacMillan @Senjougahara Hitagi But I've edited my answer to better address the context of the OP.– user20792Nov 8, 2015 at 2:23
-
1One sheet of loose leaf paper. The one pictured appears to be unpunched and wide ruled. The paper industry calls it filler paper.– MazuraNov 8, 2015 at 5:41
There isn't a single word for this unless you exclude "paper" from the count. But both "lined paper" and "notebook paper" should be understood to mean this type of paper. Without the lines, it is is typically called "blank paper" or "copy paper" (used to be "typewriter paper", but I doubt it is called that by many nowdays).
-
"copy paper" (referring to a photocopier) is kind of out of date too. You might see it called "printer paper".– Stuart FAug 23, 2021 at 15:46
-
Any piece of paper used for writing would be called a sheet.
If you look at a package of such paper, it will say (for example) 1000 sheets.
page generally refers to an already printed piece of paper, such as in a book or magazine. If a page in such book or magazine were blank (no printing), that would be a blank page.
-
I think the sheet/page distinction is based on whether you're talking about a piece of paper, or a side of a piece of paper respectively. If you bind 250 sheets of paper in a cover, it has 500 pages. Nov 7, 2015 at 23:41
-
1Not necessarily, @Senjougahara Hitagi. You count pages in a novel that way, but not in a "250 page notebook": grandandtoy.com/graphics/400X400/34900/34983.jpg There are 250 sheets=250 pages in this notebook, not 125 sheets/250 pages.– user20792Nov 8, 2015 at 2:10
This is called "loose leaf paper".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loose_leaf
Typically loose leaf paper has straight blue lines with pink margin lines. This type of paper is normally sold in packs of 100 or 200 sheets and are not necessarily sold loose which means they can be torn out of notebooks with perforations. Loose leaf generally has three holes so that the piece of paper can fit into a three-ringed binder.
Weird name? Yes, but that is what it is. At least, in English.
(I have also heard it casually called "notebook paper" but that is more vague, and could mean anything. Loose leaf paper would imply the holes and the lines you are speaking about more specifically.)
answered Nov 8, 2015 at 15:00
It's called 'a lined sheet of paper' in UK English. Or 'lined paper'.
