All about clothes | Popgen Tech

Good afternoon! More on this week Ask the teacherwe will answer the question about clothes, outfits, suits and suits.

Question:

Dear teacher,

Could you explain to me when to use “suit”, “clothing”, “costume” and “clothing”, please?

Sincerely,

Chow from Vietnam

Answer

Dear Chow,

Thanks for this question! “Suits” and “costumes” are variations of “clothes”. An “outfit” is the combination of clothes you wear throughout the day. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Clothes

“Clothes” is a plural noun meaning the coverings we wear on our bodies to protect and keep us warm or cool. Sometimes the “clothes” we wear can be stylish or have special significance.

By the end of the week, my dirty clothes pile up and I need to wash them.

Types of “clothes” include pants, shorts, shirts or “tops,” dresses, and skirts. They also include underwear and socks.

I have summer clothes like skirts and shorts and winter clothes like sweatpants and hoodies.

Some “clothes” are worn only at special times, for example:

My gym outfit includes elastic pants and a tank top.

Equipment

An outfit is a set of clothes. The word “outfit” is a number noun.

When I travel, I like to pack an extra outfit just in case.

On the internet, people love to share their outfits for the day or OOTDs.

Suit

A “suit” is a formal outfit consisting of a jacket, trousers or skirt, and sometimes vestall made of the same cloth.

Suits were a popular choice for work until 2020.

My husband wore a blue suit to our wedding.

A “suit” can also be a piece of clothing that you wear for a specific activity.

For example,

Swimwear is designed for swimming and other water activities.

Suit

“Costume” has several meanings.

As a noun, the first meaning is a set of clothing for a performer when on stage or worn by a person for a specific reason or event, such as a holiday.

During the performance, the actors had to change costumes many times.

I have a closet full of dance costumes to sell.

What’s your Halloween costume this year? My costume is a cat!

The second meaning as a non-count noun refers to clothing worn by people at a particular time in history or in a particular country or region.

For an international event, she dressed in the traditional outfit of her country.

The costumes of the Victorian era consisted of fitted clothes like with a high collar shirts and long skirts for women who did not to reveal a lot of skin.

And we use “costume” as an adjective to describe something like a play or movie where the action takes place in the past and where the actors use clothing from that time period.

The TV show Outlander is a costume drama set in the 1700s in countries such as Scotland, France and the United States.

Please let us know if these explanations and examples helped you!

What a question to make you is there about American English? Email us at learnenglish@voanews.com

And this Ask the teacher.

I’m Faith Pirlo.

Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.

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The words in this story

stylish – adj. follow a popular way of dressing or presenting oneself

hoodie – n. a hooded sweatshirt that covers the head

vest – n. a piece of sleeveless clothing with buttons down the front, worn over a shirt and under a jacket

high–collars – adj. description of the part of a shirt or coat that covers the upper part of the neck

to reveal – c. to reveal what was previously hidden or unknown

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