shop - store

In British English, a building or part of a building where goods are sold is usually called a shop. In American English, it is called a store, unless it is very small and has just one type of goods, in which case it is called a shop.

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In British English, very large shops are sometimes called stores.

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In both British and American English, a large shop which has separate departments selling different types of goods is called a department store.

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◊ 'shop' used as a verb

Shop can also be used as a verb. When people shop, they go to shops and buy things.

I usually shop on Saturdays.

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However, you usually say that someone goes shopping, rather than that they `shop'.

They went shopping after lunch.

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◊ 'shopping'

Shopping is often used as a noun. It has two meanings. It can refer to the activity of buying things from shops.

I don't like shopping.

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It can also refer to the things that someone has just bought from a shop or shops.

She put her shopping away in the kitchen.

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Shopping is an uncount noun. You do not talk about `a shopping' or someone's `shoppings'.

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When someone goes to the shops to buy things that they need regularly such as food, you say that they do the shopping or do their shopping.

Who's going to do the shopping?

She went to the next town to do her shopping.

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