Vocabulary · Lesson 17

Clothes & shopping

Build the whole shopping message, not only a list of nouns. Learn why these jeans are but this pair of jeans is, how it changes to them, and how to ask about price, size, and fit before you choose to buy or politely decline.

45–55 min coreclothes · clothing · pairthis / that / these / those · it / them15–20 min optional listening and retrieval

NoticeCompare one item, two items, and one plural-form garment.

DiscoverFollow the noun from demonstrative to verb and pronoun.

BuildChoose price, size, fit, and try-on language.

UseHelp a fictional customer choose or decline.

Clothes is a plural word: These clothes are clean. It is not countable, so do not say a clothes or two clothes. Count a specific garment or item instead: a shirt, two jackets, or three items of clothing. Clothing is uncountable and takes a singular verb: This protective clothing is new.

Two-minute retrieval

Three quick checks from earlier lessons

Use the physical scene and the noun type. Say each complete answer aloud.

1The customer is holding one shirt: “I like shirt.”

2The boots are across the room: “How much are boots?”

3The donation list uses the uncountable category: “We need warm clothing.”

Meet the clothes and accessories

Learn the item with its number pattern. The picture does not determine the grammar by itself.

T-shirt

jeans

dress

coat

sneakers

shoes

socks

cap

scarf

gloves

handbag

shopping bags

shorts

tie

boots

sandals

glasses

sunglasses

watch

ring

hat

backpack

umbrella

purse

Notice two different plural pictures

One display, three noun patterns

This jacket is $48. These shoes are $36. These jeans are $42, but this pair of jeans is on sale.

Can you separate the one ordinary item, two separate items, and one garment with plural grammar?
Which word controls the verb in this pair of jeans is: pair or jeans?
When a later sentence refers to the jacket, shoes, or jeans, would the pronoun be it or them?

Discovery check: choose is or are

Find the grammatical head before choosing the verb.

1This jacket $48.

2These shoes $36.

3These jeans $42.

4This protective clothing new.

5This pair of jeans on sale.

6These two pairs of jeans on sale.

Get to the root: the noun controls the chain

English agreement forms a chain. Choose the noun picture first, then keep the demonstrative, verb, and pronoun consistent.

noun picture	demonstrative + noun + verb	refer back
one item near	This shirt is blue.	Can I try it on?
one item farther away	That coat is warm.	How much is it?
more than one near	These shoes are black.	Can I try them on?
more than one farther away	Those gloves are small.	Do you have them in a large?

Two kinds of plural are not the same

Shoes, socks, and gloves can name two separate physical items. One item can be a shoe, a sock, or a glove.

Pants, jeans, and shorts normally name one garment but use plural grammar. Do not use a pant or a jean for the complete garment. Say a pair of pants or a pair of jeans.

The viewpoint can change the pronoun: I like these jeans. I’ll take them. But I like this pair. I’ll take it.

Drill 1: choose the demonstrative or pronoun

1The customer is holding one shirt: “Do you have shirt in blue?”

2The coat is across the room: “Is coat on sale?”

3The shoes are beside the customer: “Can I try shoes on?”

4The boots are on the far display: “How much are boots?”

5The clerk brings one jacket. The customer asks, “Can I try on?”

6The clerk brings jeans. The customer says, “I’ll try on.”

Four clothing actions

verb	core meaning	example
wear	the clothes are on the body; this is a state	The clerk is wearing a blue shirt.
put on	move clothing onto the body	Put on the jacket before you go outside.
take off	remove clothing from the body	Take off the coat in the fitting room.
try on	test clothing before deciding	Can I try these shoes on?

Try on is separable. A full noun can go after or between the two parts: try on the jacket or try the jacket on. A short pronoun must go in the middle: try it on, try them on, not try on it or try on them.

Drill 2: choose the action from the situation

1The profile describes the clerk’s usual work clothes: “They a blue shirt at work.”

2The customer wants the jacket on their body now: “Please the jacket.”

3The customer is ready to remove the jacket: “You can the jacket now.”

4The customer wants to test the size before deciding: “Can I the jacket?”

Move through a shopping conversation

purpose	one item	plural item or pair
find an item	I’m looking for a jacket.	I’m looking for black shoes.
ask about color or size	Do you have this in a medium?	Do you have these in size 9?
test it	Can I try it on?	Can I try them on?
report fit	It fits. It’s too tight.	They fit. They’re too big.
ask price	How much is it?	How much are they?
choose	I’ll take it.	I’ll take them.
decline politely	I’ll think about it, thanks.	I’ll think about them, thanks.

Size, fit, and sale do different jobs

Size is a label or measurement. A salesperson may ask What size do you need? A customer can ask Do you have this in a medium? or Do you have these in size 9? Clothing and shoe size systems vary, so the number alone is not universal.

Fit describes whether the physical size and shape work: It fits, They fit, It’s too tight, They’re too loose, too short, or too long.

In common U.S. shopping English, on sale usually means the price is reduced. For sale means available to buy. An item can be for sale without having a lower price.

I’ll take it means “I choose it and will buy it.” A customer can also leave without buying: It doesn’t fit, but thank you or I’ll think about it, thanks.

U.S. clothing words

In U.S. English, pants is the ordinary word for the outer garment; British English commonly uses trousers. British pants can mean underwear, so context matters. U.S. sweater often corresponds to British jumper.

Sneakers is a broad U.S. word for casual athletic shoes. Some U.S. speakers also use tennis shoes broadly. Purse is common in U.S. English for a bag carried for personal items; handbag is also used.

A U.S. price such as $24.99 may be read casually as twenty-four ninety-nine or fully as twenty-four dollars and ninety-nine cents.

Sound natural: hear the number and the message

Clothes is normally one syllable. Do not add a separate vowel before the final sounds. Clothing has two syllables: KLOH-thing.

Make the voiced th and vowel difference audible in this, these, that, and those. Keep plural endings clear: shirts ends /s/, shoes ends /z/, and sizes adds a final syllable /ɪz/.

In connected speech, the small words link: Can-I try-it-ON? and Do-you-HAVE this in a medium? I’ll is one syllable in I’ll TAKE it. These are listening guides, not new spellings.

Listen: what does the speaker mean?

Your teacher reads each fictional store line once naturally and once more slowly. Listen for number, distance, pronoun, and sale meaning. Check your answer before discussing the line with your tutor.

Tutor-read listening check

1. What does Clip 1 ask about?

2. What does Clip 2 ask about?

3. What does Clip 3 request?

4. What does Clip 4 request?

5. What does Clip 5 mean?

6. What does Clip 6 mean?

Build a useful store exchange

Drill 3: match each phrase to its purpose

Tap a complete phrase, then tap the situation it handles.

Drill 4: build the size question

The customer likes one jacket but needs a different size.

Drill 5: build a polite no-buy response

The jacket fits, but the fictional customer does not want to decide today.

Notice and repair errors

Drill 6: place the pronoun

The customer refers back to the jeans: “Can I try on them?” Tap the words to replace.

Drill 7: discount or availability?

The sign says the boots cost $30 instead of $50: “The boots are for sale today.” Tap the word to replace.

Oral transform: keep one item, then switch to a plural item

Say each complete response aloud before revealing it. Listen for every word that changes.

1 this jacket · ask the price

How much is this jacket?

2 these jeans · ask the price

How much are these jeans?

3 the jacket is known · ask to test it

Can I try it on?

4 the jeans are known · ask to test them

Can I try them on?

5 choose the jacket

I’ll take it.

6 decline the jeans politely

I’ll think about them, thanks.

Read a fictional store update

Harbor Street Shop, Friday

The blue jacket is normally $48, but it is on sale for $32 today. The black shoes are $36 and are available in sizes 8 and 9. The gray jeans are $42. Size medium is sold out, but sizes small and large are available. The fitting room near the front desk has step-free access.

Read, then choose the exact store information

1. What is the blue jacket’s sale price today?

2. Which sizes are available for the black shoes?

3. Which gray-jeans size is sold out?

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

Shopping for a new job

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Text message89 wordsAbout 1 min

Hi Sam! I’m at the Harbor Street Shop after work. I need a jacket for my new job at the bank. This black jacket is $48, but that blue one is on sale for $32. I can try it on in the fitting room.

I also need shoes. These brown shoes are nice, but they’re too tight. Do they have them in size 10? I don’t need new jeans. My old jeans are fine.

The scarves are only $12 today, so I’ll take one. See you at six! Lena

Find it

Tap the 7 clothing words. Some words appear twice.

Check your understanding

1. How much is the blue jacket today?

2. What is the problem with the brown shoes?

3. What does Lena not need?

Crossword

At the clothing store

Click a clue or a square, then type. Press Check when you finish.

Across

Down

Word search

Clothes and accessories

Find the word for each clue. Words run across or down. Tap the first letter, then the last.

You wear them on your hands in cold weather. → ?
You wear it around your neck in winter. → ?
Casual athletic shoes (U.S.) → ?
You wear it on your wrist. It tells the time. → ?
You wear them on your feet, under your shoes. → ?
You carry it when it rains. → ?
A bag you carry on your back. → ?

Sort it

Three noun pictures

Is it one ordinary item, two separate items, or one garment with plural grammar? Tap a word, then tap its box.

Use it safely and flexibly

You never need to disclose your real clothes, body, size, purchases, budget, brands, work, religion, health, mobility, travel, home, family, gender, or appearance. Use the fictional store, catalog, customer cards, and invented details, or share personal information only when you freely choose.

Sort the fictional display: Make three groups: ordinary singular items, two separate-item plurals, and one-garment plural words. Add one correct demonstrative, verb, and pronoun chain to each group.

Move through the store: Ask about one nearby item, one farther item, one nearby plural item, and one farther plural item. Keep this / that / these / those and is / are consistent.

Handle size and fit: The teacher supplies fictional size cards. Ask for another size, ask to try the item on, and report fits, too tight, too loose, too short, or too long.

Protect customer choice: Practice both decisions: I’ll take it / them and I’ll think about it / them, thanks. No explanation for declining is required.

Final production: help a fictional customer compare two items for 45–60 seconds. Identify one singular and one plural-form item, state size or color, ask to try it or them on, report fit, ask the price, explain whether on sale means discounted, and finish by buying or politely declining.

Reflect

Say the system back

Complete this aloud: “Clothes takes the verb ______, but clothing takes ______. These jeans takes ______, but this pair of jeans takes ______. One known item becomes ______; a plural item becomes ______.”

Then explain the difference between wear and put on, between size and fit, and between on sale and for sale.

Final quiz: choose from the complete shopping situation

1. The volunteer checks a mixed group of garments: These clothes ___ clean.

2. The price label belongs to one pair: This pair of jeans ___ $42.

3. The boots are on a display across the room: Are ___ boots on sale?

4. The clerk brings the jeans. The customer asks, “Can I try ___ on?”

5. The customer needs the coat on their body before leaving: Please ___ the coat.

6. The shoes press uncomfortably. Which fit report is accurate?

7. The jacket is $32 today instead of the normal $48. It is ___.

8. The jacket fits, but the customer does not want to decide today. Which response is polite and accurate?

Return tomorrow before rereading the lesson. Complete the five-minute next-day retrieval, then revisit only the noun pattern, agreement chain, pronoun placement, or shopping meaning that still feels slow.

Next-day retrieval

Choose the missing form before rereading

1The rack holds a mixed group of garments: These clothes ready for the display.

2The label belongs to one pair: This pair of jeans on sale.

3The customer refers back to shoes: Can I try on?

Repair the try-on phrase

The customer refers back to one jacket: “Can I try on it?” Tap the words to replace.

Thirty-second retrieval

Without looking back, say one complete chain for a jacket and one for jeans. Then contrast wear / put on, size / fit, and on sale / for sale.

This jacket is blue. Can I try it on? These jeans are blue. Can I try them on? Wear is a state; put on is an action. Size is a label; fit is how the item works on a body. On sale means discounted; for sale means available to buy.