It may sound like a silly question but I am a bit confused about the usage/meaning of paper towel. According to the dictionary, a paper towel is ONE sheet of paper. So if you want to refer to a whole roll you would say "paper towels"? I cannot understand why it makes sense to use it in the following ways:
- a piece of paper towel (is this still a sheet?, an alternate way to say just "paper towel"?)
- From a series (TAAHM): Q: Do you know where your uncle keeps the paper towels? A: I think there IS some up there. (Why is he using IS when he is referring to paper towelS?).
Thanks for any help.
Best Answer
In Britain, I don't know about elsewhere, we mostly call the whole thing a "kitchen roll" (note spelling). It is a roll of paper, perforated to enable one or more sheets to be torn off at a time. These may be called 'towels' (countable), and the paper itself can be called 'kitchen towel' (a non-count or mass noun).
Kitchen towel