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 Fri Jul 04, 2008 21:56 pm Difference between 'Beach' and 'Shore' |
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Hi Tom,
They're very similar, but there's a slight difference, although they often are used interchangeably.
Technically, a shore is where water meets land. There may or may not be a beach at the shore.
A beach is a shore area covered by sand, gravel, pebbles, or larger rock pieces.
I guess you could say all beaches are shores, but not all shores are beaches.
Hope this helps. |
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Skrej
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| Sat Jul 05, 2008 4:11 am Difference between 'Beach' and 'Shore' |
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There are regional differences too. You refer to the New Jersey shore, but the Delaware beaches. I'm not sure why, but they do.
If someone says "I'm spending a week at the shore" they are typically referring to a vacation spot near a beach.
Skrej, would you really think of "large rock pieces" as a beach? To me, it's sand, and maybe pebbles. But not rocks. |
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Barb_D
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| Sat Jul 05, 2008 6:50 am Difference between 'Beach' and 'Shore' |
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Lager pieces, yes, but maybe not large. According to my buddy Webster, anyway. 
As near as I can tell via the Internet, even up to bolder-sized rocks can still be called a beach.
I suspect it may be a matter of opinion as much as anything. |
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Skrej
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| Sat Jul 05, 2008 15:24 pm Difference between 'Beach' and 'Shore' |
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| Skrej wrote: | As near as I can tell via the Internet, even up to bolder-sized rocks can still be called a beach.
I suspect it may be a matter of opinion as much as anything. |
I agree. I'd say that where you are from probably plays a part in your understanding/interpretation of the word 'beach'. Personally, I would not equate boulders with a beach. There could be a couple of scattered boulders on a beach, I suppose, but if the land directly adjacent to a body of water were completely covered with boulders, I think I'd be reluctant to refer to it as a 'beach'. I'd also be reluctant to call something a 'beach' if it were completely covered in dune grass, for example.
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Yankee
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| Sat Jul 05, 2008 15:47 pm Difference between 'Beach' and 'Shore' |
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Hi Tom,
Just a comment on this difference. I think I would add 'sea' and refer to the seashore and in terms of seashores in the UK we've got more than enough in view of the overall size of the country. To me that is the word we would use in the first place to describe the area around the coast in its natural state. It's a word (in the plural) that is often used in a figurative/dramatic sense as in: During the war the government used every device possible to protect our shores. 'Beach' is obviously situated on the shore but has a sense of the area that has become used by people wanting to sit and look at the sea or from which they can go swimming. It is a defined area of the shore area. Again back to the second world war troops landed on the beaches of Normandy and Churchill, the British prime minister at the time, gave a stirring speech exhorting the population if necessary to fight the enemy 'on the beaches'.
Alan
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Alan
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| Sat Jul 05, 2008 16:31 pm Difference between 'Beach' and 'Shore' |
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| Skrej wrote: | even up to bolder-sized rocks can still be called a beach.
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We've obviously stayed at the same hotels.
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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| where can I find the material like this? | "by" vs "in" |
