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This is an English lesson designed to help you practice and improve your English listening and pronunciation skills. The listening lesson is a short story about something that happened in my life in Canada. There is also a short pronunciation explanation about a word or sound I used in the story.

Story: Shopping at the local mall!
Pronunciation lesson: How to pronounce the word ‘clothes.’

There are different things you can do with this lesson:

1. Listen – How to practice listening

2. Listen and answer comprehension questions

3. Listen and read the words at the same time (this helps with pronunciation too!)

4. Practice your pronunciation by saying the words with me

5. Read the text and look at sentence structure, vocabulary, punctuation, and capital letters

Listen to the podcast:

Download the podcast in .mp3 from Podbean.com or itunes!

Listening Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the local mall?

2. What’s wrong with the stores at the local mall?

3. Do I enjoy shopping?

4. What kind of clothes do I love?

5. What did I enjoy about working in a clothing store?

Transcript:

(*Click on the links to learn more about the grammar, vocabulary and expressions used in the story!)

The local mall has expanded greatly in the past few years! There are a lot of great stores now, like Banana Republic, Aritzia and Guess. Before, I had to go to Toronto to shop at those stores, so it’s nice to have them so close. Recently, though, I’ve noticed that even though there are more stores now – all the clothes look the same! I walked into one store and saw shirts with puffed shoulders. Then, I walked into another store and saw more shirts with puffed shoulders…and then in another store, and another store! Why is this?

In the past, each store had a specific look that was different from the others. Now, they all look the same! Has it always been like this, or has my taste in clothes changed?! It’s also impossible to figure out the sizes. A size 12 in one store is a size 8 in another store. A medium in one store is a large in another. I can’t get used to it! It’s so frustrating.

It’s not important to me to look trendy, and I don’t need to make a fashion statement, but it’s important to look nice! I don’t actually enjoy shopping. I love clothes – especially jackets, handbags and shoes, but I don’t enjoy shopping for them. I don’t like being pestered by the sales people. I know many of them are on commission and are just trying to make their quotas, but if I need help I’ll ask for it! I don’t like change rooms with no mirrors, either.

I used to work at a clothing store! I didn’t really enjoy it but it was something I always wanted to try! I liked playing with the cash register and learning about how a store operates. It got tiring, however, dealing with rude customers every day.

Discussion Questions

Do you enjoy shopping? How often do you go shopping?

What are your favourite stores?

What kind of clothes do you like to wear?

Let me know in the comments below!

Pronunciation – How to pronounce ‘clothes’

The ‘-thes’ at the end of ‘clothes’ is often difficult for English learners.

It’s really difficult to move your mouth from the / ð / position to the /z/ position.

Actually, it’s difficult even for native speakers…which is why most native-speakers don’t even bother pronouncing the ‘th’!

Listen carefully: we just say ‘clothes’ /kloʊz/

It sounds exactly like the verb ‘close’ /kloʊz/

Listen to the word used in sentences:

I need some new clothes.

I have nothing to wear! All my clothes are outdated.

My sister and I are the same size so I borrow her clothes all the time!

Vocabulary:

shop vs. store
= In North America, it’s more common to say ‘store.’ In England, it’s more common to say ‘shop.’

a look
In the past, each store had a specific look…
= in the fashion world, ‘a look’ is a specific style. In the past, each store had their own style of clothes.

my taste in clothes
Has it always been like this, or has my taste in clothes changed?!
my taste (uncountable noun)
= what I consider attractive and fashionable

Clothing sizes in North America:
A size 12 in one store is a size 8 in another store.
= regular-sized shirts and pants range from size 0 – size 14

A medium in one store is a large in another store.
= regular-sized shirts often come in extra small, small, medium, large and extra large

trendy
It’s not important to me to look trendy…
= wearing the most popular or most fashionable clothes

make a fashion statement
…and I don’t need to make a fashion statement…
= express your opinion (about fashion, about the world) through what you wear (think: Madonna, Lady Gaga)

on commission
I know many of them are on commission…
= part or most of their salary is a % of how much clothing they sell

quotas
…and are just trying to make their quotas,
= usually sales people have a ‘target’ they need to make, for example they need to sell $200 worth of clothing during their shift