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Innovation in Learning

A A BUSINESS VOCABULARY

Work clothes
Lesson code: MALX-PFAB-BGKQ-J INTERMEDIATE +

1 Work clothing
Look at the following items of work clothing. Think of a typical job for each item.

a hard hat a lab coat a suit a uniform an apron

high heels overalls scrubs trousers

What do you wear at work?

2 Dress code
Read the following text and put the words in bold next to their correct definitions on the next page.
Change the form of the word if necessary.

A London receptionist, 27-year-old Nicola Thorp, was sent home without pay when she
turned up in flat shoes for a receptionist job at the finance company PricewaterhouseCoopers.
A supervisor told her she would be sent home without pay if she did not go to a shop and buy a pair
of two to four inch heels. When she complained that men were allowed to wear flat shoes in the office,
her employers laughed at her. She was also told to wear makeup and she was given a colour chart of
`acceptable shades'.
Nicola later spoke to her friends about what happened and wrote a post on Facebook. She soon discovered
that many other women were sympathetic and she decided to start an online petition to make it illegal to
force women to wear heels and makeup at work.
On the UK's parliament website, she writes: `It's still legal in the UK for a company to require female
members of staff to wear high heels at work against their will. Dress code laws should be changed so
that women have the option to wear flat formal shoes at work, if they wish. Current formal work dress
codes are outdated and sexist.'
In the UK, if 10,000 people sign a petition, the Government will send a response. At 100,000 signatures,
the petition will be considered for a debate in Parliament. Nicola currently has nearly 20,000 signatures.
A PwC representative said that the company uses a different firm to supply its reception staff and that this
dress code is not their policy.
Source: Google
LE

You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex 1/3

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Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
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c Linguahouse.com OC
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 lingua house
TM
Work clothes
Innovation in Learning

A A A A BUSINESS VOCABULARY

1. (phrase): rules for what you can wear

2. (phrasal verb): to arrive, appear
3. (noun): a document that has been signed by a lot of people officially asking someone
in authority to do something
4. (adjective): showing that you understand and care about someone's problems
5. (adjective): not modern
6. (phrase): because someone is forcing you, not because you want to do it
7. (noun): a rule or guideline about how workers should behave or what they should do in
certain situations

Answer the following questions.

1. Why was Nicole Thorp sent home?

2. Why did she complain?
3. How did she tell people about it?
4. What is she trying to do now?
5. How does she feel about current work dress codes in the UK?
6. How many more signatures does her petition need?
7. What was the company's response?

Match the words below to form phrases from the text. For each phrase, create a sentence.

1. turn up a petition
2. wear in flat shoes
3. force women makeup
4. sign reception staff
5. supply to wear heels
LE

You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex 2/3

AB

Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
PI

O
c Linguahouse.com OC
P H OT
 lingua house
TM
Work clothes
Innovation in Learning

A A A A BUSINESS VOCABULARY

3 UK/US English
Match the following British English clothing terms to their equivalent US terms.

British English American English

1. tights a. a sweater
2. trainers b. a tuxedo
3. trousers c. an undershirt
4. a vest d. overalls
5. a dinner jacket e. pants
6. a jumper f. pantyhose
7. dungarees g. sneakers

Work in pairs. Tell your partner which of the above items of clothing you wear often, sometimes, rarely
and never. Use the British English names first, then repeat with American English.

4 Clothing verbs
Complete the following text by putting verbs/phrases below into their correct form.

get dressed fit get changed hang up

iron put on take off try on

2
Jeff got up at 6.30 am, had a shower and got dressed . He his usual suit and left
for work by car. After finding a suitable parking spot, it suddenly started to rain. Fortunately, he had an
3 4
umbrella in the car. When he got to the office, he his jacket and the
umbrella behind the door. Jeff checked his Google calendar and realised he had a very important meeting
5
with his supervisor in the afternoon! He had forgotten to his shirt, so he visited a local
clothing store during his lunch break to buy a new one. While looking around, he noticed a nice striped
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cotton shirt, and he decided to it . The shirt him just fine. So
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after paying, he went into the changing room and .

5 Talking point
Answer any the following questions.

1. Do you have a strict or relaxed dress code at work?

2. Do you think a dress code is important?
3. In which professions do you think a dress code is important?
4. What are work dress codes like in your country?
LE

You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex 3/3

AB

Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
PI

O
c Linguahouse.com OC
P H OT