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Many people tell me that the word ‘bank’ is more commonly used for rivers or streams, rather than the word ‘shore’ which is used for seas and lakes.

But what happens when we refer to something that is not inside the river or stream but outside or close to a river? For example:

You must take the street that runs along the banks of the Uruzú stream.

You must take the street that runs along the shore of the Uruzú stream.

Which of these phrases sounds best for native English speakers?

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    I would expect bank (singular) as a street is more likely to be on only one side of the river.
    – Peter
    Commented Nov 7 at 2:16
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    I would never use "shore" for a river. Only "bank". .... For the future: Report what you found in a dictionary. shore: the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or other large body of water.
    – GEdgar
    Commented Nov 7 at 2:52
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    You'd probably say, the street that runs alongside/beside/near the river. Just as you'd say the road beside the sea, not on the sea shore. Although there are more specific geographic terms for land formations near a river eg levee, flood plain.
    – Stuart F
    Commented Nov 7 at 8:17
  • @GEdgar - the Thames in London is widely considered to have a shore, and a foreshore.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Nov 12 at 14:23

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