Views #1091 | Intermediate (B1)

Change of Clothes

Mark talks about his feeling about clothes and how we gets the clothes he wears.

Danny: So, what kind of cloths do you like to wear?

Alex: I like to wear casual clothes. And that's why I really don't like what I have to wear to work sometimes because it's just not what I would normally wear.

Danny: So what do you normally have to wear to work then?

Alex: Oh, I have to hear a tie and kind of like suit trousers and sometimes a suit coat.

Danny: Really?

Alex:Yeah.

Danny: Even in the summer?

Alex: Yeah, even in the summer. It's basically the company policy that we look business-like. It's crazy. You know that time of year is really hot. You're sort of waiting for the train, and you're sweating and it's just, ugh!

Danny: You want a change of clothes by the time you get to work.

Alex: Yeah, it's almost like you need a locker full of new clothes by the time you get there.

Danny: I know the feeling.

Alex: Maybe I should just wear, you know, like sports clothes, and running clothes until I get to work and then change.

Danny: Good idea. So do you keep you clothes for a really long time?

Alex: Much longer than my wife would like me to keep them. She's always saying to me, "Just throw that out. It's worn out." "Oh, I like that one." She buys me new clothes but I keep wearing the same ones.

Danny: So, you wear them until there's holes in the knees and the pants.

Alex: I always have likes seven different shirts I could wear, and maybe four pairs of pants and I always wear the same ones.

Danny: So, wear do you buy your clothes when you go shopping?

Alex: Oh, this is the great thing about being married, I don't buy clothes anymore. My wife buys my clothes.

Danny: Really?

Alex: And she's a really good shopper. She knows my size, and she --- well, there is only one problem. I don't always like what she buys, but I never tell her.

Danny: So how many times a day do you end up having to change your clothes? You say you have to wear this suit to work, and then you end up sweating. Do you have the opportunity to change?

Alex: No, not at work. But once you get to work in the middle of summer, the air-cons on, the air-conditioning's on, so it's not too bad, but by the time I get home from work --- and I usually don't have a bath until later, and I always have to give my work clothes off. I just can't wait to get my work clothes off.

Danny: So about once a day.

Alex: Yeah, basically.

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson

company policy

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It's company policy that we look business-like.

Company policy are just the rules of a company. Company policy often determines things like dress code, break times, and using company items. Notice the following:

  1. Company policy states we only get two weeks vacation a year.
  2. Due to a change in company policy, all men must now wear ties.

it's crazy

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We have to wear a tie in summer, so it's crazy.

We often use the word 'crazy' to show that something is not logical or seems strange. People often say something is crazy when they do not agree with it. Notice the following:

  1. We have to work on Saturday. That's crazy!
  2. I think it's crazy that you don't know your girlfriend's last name.

by the time

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You want to change your clothes by the time you get to work.

The phrase 'by the time' means 'just before' or 'when' something happens. We use the term 'by the time' to express the time something will coincide with another event. Notice the following:

  1. By the time the movie ends, I am usually asleep.
  2. I hope to finish by the time class finishes.

throw out

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When you throw something out, you throw it away and stop using it. We often throw something out when it is too old to be useful anymore. Notice the following:

  1. I threw out the milk because it was old.
  2. Don't throw out those jeans. I still wear them.

worn out

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The pants are worn out.

When something is worn out, that means it is no longer fit for use. Clothes are often worn out when they have holes in them. Notice the following:

  1. These shoes are all worn out. I need new ones.
  2. Faded, worn out jeans are now in style.

Vocabulary Quiz

company policy • crazy • by the time
throw out • worn out
  1. This shirt is . It has holes in it.
  2. Our says you must wear a white shirt.
  3. I think it is you have to get up at 3 a.m.
  4. I need to these old vegetables.
  5. The movie will start we get there.
Answer the following questions about the interview.

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#1091 Change of Clothes
1091 Change of Clothes
Mark talks about his feeling about clothes.

 

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