Beach, Coast, Shore
2025-03-08
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1This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Doyeon in Korea about the usage of three similar words.
2Here is the question:
3Hello.
4I want to know the differences between
5the beach, . . . coast and shore.
6Thank you.
7You ask a useful question, Doyeon. Beach, shore and coast are related words, but they have some important differences.
8Beach
9The word "beach" is the most specific of the three words.
10The Collins online dictionary defines beach as "a nearly level stretch of pebbles and sand beside a sea, lake, etc., often washed by high water."
11Ocean beaches are popular places to visit.
12We often use the phrase "at the beach" to express the idea of spending time in the general area of the beach, as in the following example:
13They will vacation at the beach this summer.
14We usually say "on the beach" when describing specific activities we do there:
15She went for a walk on the beach.
16I'm going to spend my afternoon on the beach.
17They are playing football on the beach.
18Coast
19The Learning English Word Book defines coast as "land on the edge of the ocean."
20We can use the word to describe a wide area, however.
21For example, Baltimore, Maryland is an East Coast city even though it is several kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean.
22Here are more examples of how we can use "coast" in a sentence.
23The Florida coast has many nice towns and beaches.
24The coast of California extends over 1,300 kilometers.
25Like the expression "at the beach," we can say "on the coast" when describing the general area, as in the following example:
26Her mother has lived on the coast for 30 years.
27We can use the expression "off the coast of" to describe an area of ocean or sea relative to a place on land:
28The island is about 60 kilometers off the coast of Africa.
29Shore
30The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the word "shore" as "the land bordering a usually large body of water."
31Shore can sometimes mean the beach, but not always.
32For example, you might swim to shore and come out of the water onto a beach.
33But you could also come to shore at a port with no beach in sight.
34And we can use "shore" when discussing the general area, just like we do with the word "coast."
35The following example shows this meaning:
36The northern shore has many nice towns and beaches.
37For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English?
38We want to hear from you!
39Do you like to spend time at the coast?
40Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
41And please let us know where you are from, too.
42And that's Ask a Teacher.
43I'm Andrew Smith.
1This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Doyeon in Korea about the usage of three similar words. Here is the question: 2Hello. 3I want to know the differences between 4the beach, . . . coast and shore. 5Thank you. 6You ask a useful question, Doyeon. Beach, shore and coast are related words, but they have some important differences. 7Beach 8The word "beach" is the most specific of the three words. The Collins online dictionary defines beach as "a nearly level stretch of pebbles and sand beside a sea, lake, etc., often washed by high water." 9Ocean beaches are popular places to visit. We often use the phrase "at the beach" to express the idea of spending time in the general area of the beach, as in the following example: 10They will vacation at the beach this summer. 11We usually say "on the beach" when describing specific activities we do there: 12She went for a walk on the beach. 13I'm going to spend my afternoon on the beach. 14They are playing football on the beach. 15Coast 16The Learning English Word Book defines coast as "land on the edge of the ocean." We can use the word to describe a wide area, however. For example, Baltimore, Maryland is an East Coast city even though it is several kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. 17Here are more examples of how we can use "coast" in a sentence. 18The Florida coast has many nice towns and beaches. 19The coast of California extends over 1,300 kilometers. 20Like the expression "at the beach," we can say "on the coast" when describing the general area, as in the following example: 21Her mother has lived on the coast for 30 years. 22We can use the expression "off the coast of" to describe an area of ocean or sea relative to a place on land: 23The island is about 60 kilometers off the coast of Africa. 24Shore 25The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the word "shore" as "the land bordering a usually large body of water." Shore can sometimes mean the beach, but not always. For example, you might swim to shore and come out of the water onto a beach. But you could also come to shore at a port with no beach in sight. 26And we can use "shore" when discussing the general area, just like we do with the word "coast." The following example shows this meaning: 27The northern shore has many nice towns and beaches. 28For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English? We want to hear from you! Do you like to spend time at the coast? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. And please let us know where you are from, too. 29And that's Ask a Teacher. 30I'm Andrew Smith. 31Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 32_______________________________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34specific - adj. precise, relating to one thing and not others 35pebble - n. a small rock