What’s the difference between a library and bookshop?

This week we are looking at different buildings associated with books: library and bookshop or bookstore.

library

A library is a building where books are kept that people can look at or borrow.

You can borrow the book from your local library.

A library is also a private collection of books, or a room in a large house where books are kept.

I once stayed in one of his houses and saw his library.

bookshop

In Britain, a shop where you can buy books is called a bookshop.

I went into the bookshop to buy a present for my son.

bookstore

In America, it is called a bookstore.

My wife works in a bookstore.

Find out more in our English Usage article.

This blogpost is based on Collins COBUILD English Usage, written for learners of English. For more examples of English usage points, please visit:  https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/english-usage.

All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.

Related Articles

Other Articles

The 8 parts of speech in English

VERBS A verb tells us about an action or a state of being. Ordinary verbs are called main verbs. For example: come, go, think, want, escape, believe. A main verb is sometimes called a ‘doing word’. A special group of verbs are called auxiliary verbs. These can be put together with main verbs to… Read More

Months and Dates

In order to talk confidently about your plans in English, it’s useful to know some essential phrases that relate to months and dates. The months of the year in English are: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. Read More

Formation of past and present tense of English verbs

The present tense of a regular verb is the same as the base form of the verb, except that an -s is added to the verb when it has a noun or he, she, or it as a subject. This form is called the 3rd person singular form. I live in the country. He likes his job. The window looks… Read More