paperwork
paperwork — noun
1. the routine writing tasks tied to a job — filling in forms, replying to letters,
the routine writing tasks tied to a job — filling in forms, replying to letters, and updating files — that take time but are not the main work itself.
Marcus spends every Friday afternoon catching up on paperwork at his desk.
collocation: catch up on paperwork
Nurses at the clinic complain that paperwork takes time away from patients.
typical complaint frame: paperwork takes time away from
There is too much paperwork involved in opening a small bakery in Taipei.
Lina hates paperwork, so she hired an assistant to handle the forms.
After the meeting, the manager sat down to finish a stack of paperwork.
- admin
informal short form, mostly British
- clerical work
more formal, emphasises office routine
- red tape
negative; suggests rules are excessive or annoying
文法句型
uncountable: do/finish/get through paperwork
用法筆記
Always uncountable: never 'a paperwork' or 'paperworks'. Quantify with 'a lot of', 'too much', 'a pile/stack of', or 'some'.
常見錯誤
2. the set of forms, contracts, or other written items needed to make something off
the set of forms, contracts, or other written items needed to make something official, such as buying a house, joining a school, or closing a business deal.
Sarah signed the paperwork for her new apartment in front of the agent.
collocation: sign the paperwork for [thing]
The hospital lost the paperwork for my father's surgery and had to start again.
Please bring the paperwork for the car loan to our office on Monday.
All the paperwork for the trip is in the blue folder on the kitchen table.
The lawyer reviewed the paperwork before Maya agreed to sell the shop.
- documents
countable and more general; can be one or many
- documentation
more formal; stresses proof or evidence
- forms
narrower — only refers to printed forms with blanks to fill in
文法句型
uncountable: sign/submit/complete the paperwork (for X)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 refers to a specific bundle of documents tied to ONE event or deal (a sale, a trip, a court case), so it usually appears with 'the' and 'for + noun'. Sense 1 is the abstract category of office writing tasks in general.