Clothing Styles - Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab

Level:	Topic:	Speakers:	Length:
easy	clothing	man – woman	01:35

Pre-Listening Exercise

What kinds of clothes do you wear to school or work? Where do you buy your clothes? Do you ever buy used clothing?

Speak Up, Take a Stand! Instructions for Getting the Conversation Started

These statements are designed to get everyone thinking, moving, and talking! The goal is to explore ideas, share opinions, and get ready for the next part of the lesson.

In a face-to-face classroom: Read each statement aloud. If you agree, move to one side of the room; if you disagree, move to the other. Talk with your group—why do you feel that way? Then, pair students with members of the other group and have students explain their reasons. Rotate partners for more practice.
In an online classroom: Use polls, emojis, or the chat box in your online platform to show your opinion. Then, join the conversation as a group or in breakout rooms. What do others think? Do you agree or disagree with them?
For independent learners: Read each statement and think about your opinion. Then say your answer out loud and explain your reason, as if you’re talking to a classmate. This helps you get ready to speak and join real conversations in English. Consider recording your ideas and self-assess your progress.

1. Everyone should try to dress in style.
2. What you wear shows who you are.
3. Expensive clothes look better than cheap clothes.
4. It’s okay to wear the same clothes many times.
5. School uniforms make life easier for students.
6. People should always dress for the weather, not fashion.
7. You feel more confident when you dress well.
8. Fashion is more important for young people than for adults.
9. Some clothing styles never go out of fashion.
10. It’s wrong to judge people by their clothes.

Idioms

“on the spur of the moment” = without planning or preparation
“I decided to go to the party on the spur of the moment, so I threw on some clothes and left.”

“be decked out” = be dressed in formal clothes for nice occasions
“She was decked out in a beautiful dress, and everyone was surprised.”

Listening Exercise

A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.

Vocabulary Practice

Do the vocabulary quizzes using the words from the conversation for more practice:

Post-Listening Exercise

What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying clothing in a regular store as compared with purchasing something over the Internet? What have been your experiences in doing both?

Online Investigation

What people wear can say something about a person’s personality, style, interests, and at times, employment situation, and dressing appropriately for different circumstances can be important. For each of the following situations below, decide on what clothing (shirt, shoes, tie, dress, uniform, etc.) would be appropriate and think about the reasons.

school or work
at a nice restaurant
to a park
to the home of close friends

Then, use the Internet to find the items of clothing, determine the cost of each, and compare what you find online to what you might find in a local clothing store in your area.

See Listening Script

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Language Games

General Listening Quiz