Episode 20 B

EPISODE 20
LEVEL B2

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

MEN’S CLOTHES

„Remember that I am going away for this week-end conference tomorrow?” asks Timothy.
„Sure,” says Julia. „Have you packed yet?”
„No! That’s what I wanted to ask you – what should I take with me?”
„Well, a suit definitely – but a jacket with trousers will do, you don’t need a waistcoat (= a piece of clothing that covers the upper body but not the arms and usually has buttons down the front, worn over a shirt; US: a vest).”
„Dark or light?”
„Go for the light one, with a white shirt, definitely. Take a tie (= long thin piece of material that is worn under a shirt collar, especially by men, and tied in a knot at the front); actually, better take two.”
„Do I really have to look that smart?”
„First of all, at a business conference, it is better to over-dress than to under-dress (= to wear too smart clothes rather than too casual ones). Second of all, I’m not telling you to wear a tux, am I?! (= a tuxedo – a very formal kind of suit worn only for special occasions).”
„You’re right. So what else?”
„Well, underwear, right? Boxer shorts or briefs, whatever you prefer (= thin pieces of clothing to be worn under the trousers). Socks, obviously. Take a pair of slippers to change into when you take off your shoes in the evening, and maybe flip-flops to wear when you take a shower – you never know if the floor has been scrubbed well. Oh, and a pair of pajamas, of course, to sleep in.”
„Thanks, Julia. I wish I had thought of all this earlier, I wouldn’t have to worry about it now!”
„Yes, I wish you had told me about it earlier, too – we would have had a chance to go shopping and maybe buy you something nice to wear there.”

 

 

More contexts for the new words:

• We went to a black-tie function last night.
  (= „black-tie” refers to clothes worn for formal social occasions – for men, this is a black bow tie, white shirt and black suit, and for women, a long dress; „a black-tie function” is an event which requires this sort of clothes to be worn)
• He always wears a vest in winter.
  (= a type of underwear, often with no sleeves, which covers the upper part of the body and which is worn for extra warmth; US: undershirt, Australian English: singlet)

 

 

EXERCISE 1

Odd one out. Which word is different from all the others? Why?

 

1. jacket – trousers – pajamas – waistcoat
2. boxer shorts – briefs – socks
3. flip-flops – vest – slippers
4. sweater – tux – suit – tie

 

 

EXERCISE 2

Put the words in order to make meaningful questions and then answer them.

 

1. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ?

did, When, you, over-, or, dress, under-, last

2. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ?

slippers, Do, wear, home, you, at

3. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ?

or, Do, prefer, boxer, you, shorts, briefs

 

 

ENGLISH IN USE 

 

I wish I had thought of all this earlier.
I wish you had told me about it earlier.

These two sentences are similar to the sentences we studied last week, but with one important difference: the tense used now is Past Perfect. This is because these sentences express a wish about the past. Have a look at some more examples:

I didn’t buy the newspaper yesterday. Now I regret it – there was an interesting article in it. I wish I had bought the newspaper.
I went swimming in the sea last week. The weather wasn’t good and I caught a cold. I wish I hadn’t gone swimming. I wish I hadn’t caught a cold.

The same rule applies to negations as in the sentences with Simple Past: if the sentence describing the actual state of things is a negative one (like in our example – I didn’t buy a newspaper), the „wish” sentence will not include a negation. On the other hand, if the „reality” sentence is a positive one, the „wish” sentence will be negative, as in the examples about swimming in the sea.

 

 

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

 

A/ Why does Jack ask his wife about everything?

B/ Because in their family, it is she who WEARS THE TROUSERS.

 

If you wear the trousers, you are the boss in the family.

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

1. If you DO something UP, you fasten an item of clothing.

 

She did his jacket up for him before he left the house.

Do up your shoelaces.

 

2. If you SLIP something ON, you put on an item of clothing easily.

 

She slipped her sandals on before she went into the sea.

Ann slipped the jacket on to see what it looked like.

 

 

 

EXERCISE 3

Re-write the sentences keeping the same meaning and using the word in CAPITALS. Use the idiom and the phrasal verb you have learned.

 

1. It’s obvious who is the boss in their house.

TROUSERS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2. You don’t need to fasten the top button.

UP …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. She quickly put on a summer dress.

SLIPPED ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

 

 

NEWS

 

PERSONAL STYLIST

 

More and more men are using the services of personal stylists to advise them on their personal and professional attire. While unthinkable a few years ago, this current trend puts men on a par with women, and saves them lots of time and money. While the services of a personal stylist are still relatively expensive (an hour of their work costs about 100 zlotys), it is an investment that definitely pays off throughout the rest of your life. Not only women, but also men have come to realize that obtaining professional advice prevents them from buying clothing which doesn’t suit them, and allows them to do their shopping much faster, since they already know what to look for. Jan Zgodowski, a marketing specialist of an IT company, says that looking good is crucial for his profession, and he unwittingly had make lots of silly mistakes before his first encounter with a style guru. Now he thinks he is much more effective in his work, since he feels more confident, and people perceive him as looking more professional. So, it’s worth the investment!

 

GLOSSARY

– attire – clothes

– on a par with – equal to

– crucial – very important

– unwittingly – not consciously

– encounter – meeting

 

 

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