UNIT 3. Act your age.

TALKING ABOUT OUR AGE

Other ways to talk about age:

 She’s about 20.

 He’s thirty-something.
 They’re in their early forties.
 My mom is in her mid-fifties.
 She’s middle-aged.
 My grandfather is in his late
seventies.

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 UNIT 3. Act your age.

1 READING: Clothes and fashion

Read the title of the following article about fashion. What’s your answer to the question?

Look at the photo of the Hoppen family and read the article. Complete the highlighted phrases
with the clothes in the list:
dress jacket jeans sandals sweater top trainers

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 UNIT 3. Act your age.
2 VOCABULARY: Clothes and fashion

DRESS or WEAR?
Both of these words are verbs. However, only the verb wear is transitive (it has a
direct object: you wear something):
- She’s wearing jeans (NOT “She’s dressing jeans”)
The verb dress means to wear a particular type or style of clothes. For example:
- She always dresses casually.
- All staff are expected to dress appropriately.
- He dressed entirely in black.

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 UNIT 3. Act your age.
3 GRAMMAR: Using adjectives as nouns
In English, we don’t normally use adjectives as nouns. Adjectives usually go before a noun
or a pronoun. Look at this example:
- Which dress do you prefer?
- I like the red dress / I like the red one. (NOT: I like the red)

However, you can use some adjectives alone to refer to groups of Some adjectives commonly used like this:
people as a whole. For example:
the young, the old (the elderly), the rich, the
- The rich also cry. (The rich = rich people)
poor, the sick, the blind, the deaf, the
- The young are very idealistic. (The young = young people)
- The good die young. (The good = good people) unemployed, the homeless, the dead.

You can also do this with some nationality adjectives, when they end in -ch (the French, the Dutch), in -
sh (the Spanish, the British), -ese (the Chinese, the Japanese) and -ss (the Swiss).
- The Irish love dancing. (The Irish = Irish people)
- The Japanese work very hard. (The Japanese = Japanese people)

Remember! We normally don’t use the definite article THE with nouns when we
are speaking in general. Compare:
- The elderly are very active nowadays. (The + adjective)
- Elderly people are very active nowadays.
- The elderly people are very active nowadays. (general)
- The elderly people in my family are very active. (specific)

Adjective order
When we use more than one adjective before a noun, we order them according to their meaning.
This is the usual order:

1. Opinion (wonderful, nice, ugly, terrible…)

2. Size (large, small, long, short, tall…)
3. [Other qualities: Adjectives which do not belong to any of the other groups usually go here:
quiet, angry, fast, soft…]
4. Age (old, new, brand new…) Relax! We don’t normally use so many
5. Shape (round, square…) adjectives before a noun. We may use
6. Colour (red, blue, greenish…) one, two or maybe three…
7. Pattern (spotted, striped, flowery…) - a grumpy old man
8. Origin (French, Italian…) - a beautiful old Italian mirror
9. Material (silk, stone, plastic…) - an awful purple silk scarf
10. Type (an electric car, a religious conflict) Just remember that opinion adjectives
11. Purpose (What is it for?) (a bread knife, wrapping paper) always go before descriptive adjectives.
and trust your instinct!
Notice! Very frequently, the words that we use to describe the material, the
type or the purpose are NOUNS (not adjectives) Remember, adjectives always go
BEFORE the noun and they’re
- a paper napkin, a plastic bag
NEVER plural!
- a country road, a city street
- a practice exam, a sample question Example: The young and the old
In this case, we never use “of”: chocolate cake, NOT cake of chocolate often wear different clothes.

NOT clothes differents

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 UNIT 3. Act your age.
GRAMMAR PRACTICE

4 LISTENING

When there really is a big black hairy spider in the bath…

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 UNIT 3. Act your age.

5 VIDEO LISTENING

Wearing Nothing New

Jessi Arrigton – TED Talks

http://www.ted.com/talks/jessi_arrington_wearing_nothing_new.html

Before you watch

1. Think about it… Why would anyone decide to wear nothing new?

While you watch

1. What’s Jessi obsessed with?
2. Where does she get all her clothes?
3. What are the advantages of this way of shopping?
4. What did she pack in her suitcase? Why?
Complete Jessi’s “life lessons”
5. Sunday: You do not have to ______________________________ to look great.
How much did the whole outfit cost her?
6. Monday: It’s almost physiologically impossible to be ______________________________
when you’re wearing bright red pants.
7. Tuesday lesson: Just be ______________________________.
8. Wednesday lesson: Embrace ______________________________.
9. Thursday lesson: Confidence is key. If you think ______________________________, you
almost certainly do.
Who taught her this lesson?
When did she really understand it?
10. Friday lesson: Gold sequins ______________________________ everything.
11. Saturday lesson: Developing your own unique style is a really great way
______________________________ about you without having to say a word.

12. What’s Jessi going to do with everything she bought? Why?

After you watch
1. What do you think about Jessi Arrington?
2. Is buying second-hand worth doing? Why? Why not?

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 UNIT 3. Act your age.

6 WRITING: An opinion essay

In an opinion essay, you must say what you think about a topic and try to convince the reader
of your point of view. To do that, you should first introduce the topic and state your opinion.
Then, you should give reasons that support your view, and finally, you should write a conclusion
where you summarize your arguments and repeat your opinion using different words.

TOP TIPS
 Plan your ideas
Decide whether you agree with the question or statement and then make a list of two
or three reasons that support your opinion, including some facts and/or examples.

 Organize your text

1. Introduction: Introduce the topic and give your opinion. Say whether you agree
or disagree with the statement. You can use a question to catch the reader’s
attention.
2. Body: Give arguments to support your opinion. Include facts or examples to
show that your reasons make sense.
3. Conclusion: Summarize your ideas and state your opinion again. Do not introduce
new arguments in the conclusion.

 Use linking words

Use connectors to sequence and link your ideas. It will make your writing more coherent.

EXAMPLE
Shopping online is more convenient than going to the shops
These days, it seems like everything is going digital, including
shopping. With the click of a button, you can order anything you want
and have it delivered directly to your front door. Who wouldn’t like
that?

Firstly, online shopping is less stressful than hitting the high street shops because there are
no huge crowds of people or tediously long queues. With online shopping, it’s just you and
your computer. It’s like you have the whole shop to yourself!

Secondly, online stores don’t have opening and closing times. This is perfect for anyone
with a busy schedule, like office workers who work long hours, or teenagers with several
hobbies to squeeze into the weekend. If you want to, you can even place an online shopping
order at three o’clock in the morning!

Moreover, shopping online gives you access to a huge variety of products. You can find
items that may not be available in shops in your area, especially if you live in a small town.
Finally, you can compare prices in different shops, find special discounts and save money.

In short, I believe online shopping is easier, more convenient and even cheaper than going
to the shops. For all these reasons, I think this way of shopping will continue to become
more and more popular.

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 UNIT 3. Act your age.

Read the example.

- Can you identify the introduction and the conclusion?
- How many arguments does the writer give to support his/her opinion?
- Underline the linking words the writer uses to connect his/her ideas.

USEFUL LANGUAGE – Linking Words

To express your opinion
In my opinion, As I see it,
Personally, I think/ I believe (that) In my view,
I strongly believe that…. From my point of view, …
It is clear (to me) that As far I am concerned,
I (completely) agree/disagree with … I am sure/ convinced that …
It seems to me that… I (dis)agree with the statement, because …
To give reasons
The main reason / Another reason is that… Because…
One reason for… is …. Since…
Many people say/ believe that… Because of/ due to...
To express facts
It is widely known that… It has been said that…
It is a well-known fact that… It is clear/ true that…
Research has shown that… For example/ for instance,...
To add ideas
What is more,… Secondly,…
Moreover/ Furthermore/ In addition (to) … Thirdly,…
Firstly,… Lastly,…
First of all,… Finally,…
To express contrast
Although… Whereas...
Even though… However...
Despite... In contrast... /but...
In spite of... On the one hand... /On the other hand...
To express purpose
So (that)… To...
In order to... So as to...
To conclude
To sum up,… In conclusion...
To conclude... It is clear that...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER KEY
1 READING
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 UNIT 3. Act your age.
1 jeans 2 jacket 3 trainers 4 top 5 sandals 6 dress 7 sweater
2 VOCABULARY
1 DESCRIBING CLOTHES
a Fit 2 loose 1 tight
Style 6 hooded 4 long-sleeved 7 polo neck 3 sleeveless 5 V-neck
Pattern 12 checked 10 patterned 8 plain 11 spotted 9 striped
c 4 a cotton vest
9 a denim waistcoat
5 a fur collar
3 a lace top
1 a linen suit
7 a lycra swimsuit
8 a silk scarf
6 a velvet bow tie
2 a wool cardigan
11 leather sandals
10 suede boots
2 ADJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE CLOTHES AND THE WAY PEOPLE DRESS
a 1 She always wears casual clothes to work – she hates dressing formally.
2 He looks really scruffy. His clothes are old and a bit dirty.
3 Jane looked very smart in her new suit. She wanted to make a good impression.
4 That tie’s a bit old-fashioned! Is it your dad’s?
5 I like wearing classic clothes that don’t go out of fashion.
3 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES
a1C2A3F4H5G6B7E8I9D
3 GRAMMAR
a 1 The Dutch 2 the sick 3 the blind 4 The French 5 the injured 6 The Swiss 7 the homeless 8 the
unemployed 9 the dead 10 the deaf
b 1 an attractive young man
2 dirty old shoes
3 a beautiful black velvet jacket
4 a tall teenage American girl
5 a long sandy beach
6 a magnificent 17th-century country house
7 a stylish Italian leather bag
8 huge dark eyes
9 a friendly old black dog
10 a striped cotton T-shirt
4 LISTENING
bA3B5C2D4F1
c 1 T 2 F (They sometimes dress older to get into pubs and bars.) 3 T 4 T 5 F (He looks great.) 6 F (Most
men don’t dress like that nowadays.)
5 VIDEO LISTENING
1.She’s “outfit-obsessed.” She loves finding, wearing and more recently, photographing and blogging a
different, colourful, crazy outfit for every single occasion.
2.She gets everything second-hand from flea markets and thrift stores.
3.It reduces the impact on the environment and on her wallet; she meets great people; her money goes
to a good cause; she looks unique and shopping becomes like a treasure hunt.
4.She only packed seven pairs of underpants because she knew she would be able to find everything she
needed once she got to Palm Springs.
5.Spend a lot of money. 55 dollars.
6.In a bad mood.
7.Who you are.
8.Your inner child.
9.You look good in something. He mom taught her this lesson, but she didn’t really understand it until
she turned 30.
10.Go with
11.To tell the world something

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 UNIT 3. Act your age.
12.She’s going to donate it all back, because she’s trying to learn a new lesson: it’s OK to let go. She
doesn’t need to get emotionally attached to the things she buys, because she’s always going to be able
to find another outfit.
Watch the video again and read the transcript (click on the word “transcript” below the video).
6. WRITING
1. The first and last paragraphs
2.Four arguments
3.Firstly, because, secondly, like, moreover, especially, finally, in short, for all these reasons.

EXTRA PRACTICE
VOCABULARY
 https://www.vocabulary.cl/english/clothes.htm
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6voVVeO8PRA&t=45s
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBRnMkWRKdY

READING
 https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/reading/b2-reading/the-buy-
nothing-movement
 https://www.ldoceonline.com/exercise/b2-first-reading-4-new-kids-on-the-
frock
 https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/magazine/fashion

LISTENING
 https://test-english.com/listening/b1-b2/islamic-fashion-gains-popularity/
 https://virtuaule.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=419&c
atid=109&Itemid=679
 https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-
200220

GRAMMAR
 https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/adjectives-without-noun/
 https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/adjective-order/
 https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/order-of-adjectives.html

WRITING
 https://test-english.com/writing/b1/writing-an-opinion-essay/
 https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing/b2-writing/an-opinion-
essay

NOTE: Some of the activities in this unit have been adapted from material published and
copyrighted by Oxford University Press for the exclusive use of students in this course.

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