Clothes and colours
Name clothes and colours, describe what people are wearing and use adjectives in the right order.
In this lesson you will
- Name common clothes and colours
- Say what someone is wearing
- Put adjectives before nouns
Learn
Clothes: shirt, T-shirt, jumper (US sweater), jacket, coat, dress, skirt, trousers (US pants), jeans, shorts, shoes, trainers (US sneakers), boots, socks, hat, scarf.
Colours: red, blue, green, yellow, black, white, grey, brown, pink, purple, orange. Add light / dark: dark blue, light green.
In English the adjective goes before the noun: a red dress (not a dress red). Adjectives have no plural form: black shoes (not blacks shoes).
Say what someone has on now with is/are wearing: She’s wearing a blue coat. Some clothes are always plural: trousers, jeans, shorts, glasses — My jeans are new. Use a pair of: a pair of shoes.
Examples
- He’s wearing a white shirt and dark trousers.
- I love your red scarf!
- These jeans are too small.
- I need a new pair of trainers.
- What colour is your car? — It’s grey.
Vocabulary
jumper
a warm top with long sleeves (UK)
trousers
clothes for your legs (UK); pants in US
“My trousers are black.”
trainers
sports shoes (UK); sneakers in US
wear
have clothes on your body
“She’s wearing a hat.”
a pair of
two things that go together
“a pair of socks”
dark
strong, deep (for colours)
“dark green”
In real life
Meeting someone for the first time.
Audio isn’t available in this browser — read the transcript instead.
Leo: Hi! How will I know you at the station?
Hana: I’m tall, and I’m wearing a long green coat and a yellow scarf.
Leo: Great. I’m wearing jeans and a black jacket. And I have a red backpack.
Hana: Perfect — see you at five!
Practice
Which is correct?
Speaking
Describe what you are wearing today, and what you usually wear to work, school or a party.
Writing
Describe three people in a photo or on the street: what are they wearing? Use colours and adjectives before nouns.
Lesson quiz
What ___ you wearing?
Review
Key points
- Clothes and colour words; light/dark + colour.
- Adjective + noun: a red dress; no -s on adjectives.
- is/are wearing for now; trousers/jeans are plural; a pair of.
What you learned
- ✓ I can name clothes and colours.
- ✓ I can say what people are wearing.
- ✓ I can put adjectives before nouns.
Grammar reference: Adjectives: position and order