Describing Clothing Video

My latest Youtube video teaches how to describe clothing and people's actions using the present continuous.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to talk about the clothes people are wearing and the actions they are doing using the present continuous. Before we cover the target vocabulary and grammar, let's look at an example of the language we are going to learn.

What is she wearing?
She's wearing a pink, cotton t-shirt and blue, denim jeans.
What is she doing?
She's doing laundry. 

Let's start with the names of items of clothing.
a hat
a vest
shorts
sandals
high heels
a dress
a blouse
a skirt
a jacket
a sweater
jeans
gloves
a scarf
boots
a suit
shoes
a jacket
a shirt
a neck tie
a belt
pants
a t-shirt
flip-flops
sunglasses
a cardigan
sneakers

When describing clothes we can talk about colour, pattern and material. When describing the colour of clothes, we might want to broaden our colour vocabulary. These colours that you might not know are often used to describe clothes.
khaki
navy
sky blue
lilac
aqua
burgundy
beige

Now let's look at patterns.
plain
plaid or check
gingham
argyle
polka dot
striped
printed

And materials.
leather
cotton
wool or woolen
silk
denim
nylon

In a sentence, adjectives are usually in a set order before the noun. First colour, then pattern, material and finally the noun.

He is wearing a purple, check, cotton shirt.

Notice that the article comes before the first adjective. Plain is an exception. It isn't really a pattern, but is an adjective of the colour, so it comes before the colour.

She is wearing a plain yellow, cotton dress.

To describe what someone is wearing and the action they are doing we use the present continuous. To make present continuous sentences we be + verb-ing. This chart shows the grammar we need to make present continuous sentences.

I am wearing a shirt.
He is wearing glasses.
You are riding a bike.

Now we have all the grammar and vocabulary we need. Let's look at some examples.

What is he wearing?
He's wearing a plain grey, cotton cardigan, a red t-shirt and blue, denim jeans.
What is he doing?
He's talking on the telephone.

What is she wearing?
She's wearing a black and white, printed, nylon dress and black high heels.
What is she doing?
She's listening to music.

What is he wearing?
He's wearing a plain navy, woolen suit.
What is he doing?
He's riding a bike.

Describing People Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to describe people.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to describe people's appearance and personality.

Here are some adjectives we can use describe someone's personality.
honest
talkative
shy
funny
outgoing
nice
patient
confident

What's she like? She honest and patient.
What's he like? He's funny and kind.

There are many things we can talk about to describe someone's appearance. Let's look at each one in turn. To talk about someone's attractiveness, height and weight, we can ask one simple question.

What does she look like?
She's cute.
She's pretty.
She's beautiful.

He's handsome.

He's short.
He's average height.
He's tall.

He's thin.
He's slim.
He's average weight.
He's muscular.
He's a little heavy.

She has short hair.
She has medium length hair.
She has long hair.

She has straight hair.
She has wavy hair.
She has curly hair.

She has blond hair.
She has black hair.
She has brown hair.
She has red hair.
She has grey hair.

He is bald.
He has a moustache.
He has a beard.

To talk about someone's age, we can ask: How old is he? There are a number of different ways we can describe someone's age if we don't know their exact age.

He's in his early twenties.
He's in his mid-twenties.
He's in his late twenties.

She's kind of young.
She's kind of old.

She's around 20 years old.
She's around 30 years old.

We use the present continuous to talk about the clothes someone is wearing. What is he wearing? He's wearing a blue t-shirt and blue jeans. Let's review clothing vocabulary.

a blouse
a skirt
a jacket
a sweater
jeans
boots
gloves
a scarf
high heels
a dress

a suit
shoes
a jacket
a shirt
a neck tie
a belt
pants
a t-shirt
flip-flops
shorts
sunglasses
a uniform

There are a few items of clothing that weren't in any of those pictures.
sneakers
socks
a hat
glasses
a raincoat

Now we have all the vocabulary we need, let's look at some examples of questions and answers.
What is she like? She's outgoing.
What does she look like?
She's pretty.
She's average height and slim.
She has long, straight, brown hair.
How old is she? She's in her mid-twenties.
What is she wearing? She's wearing a white blouse and grey skirt.

What is he like? He's honest and kind.
What does he look like?
He's handsome.
He's tall and muscular.
He's bald.
How old is he? He's around 30 years old.
What is he wearing? He's wearing a purple sweater, blue jeans and tan shoes.

What's she like? She's shy.
What does she look like?
She's cute.
She's short and slim.
She has long, curly, brown hair.
How old is she? She's kind of young.
What is she wearing? She's wearing a blue school uniform.

What is he like? He's funny.
What does he look like? He's cute.
He's short and slim.
He has short brown hair.
How old is he? He's kind of young.
What is he wearing? He's wearing a red t-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers.

Here's a homework assignment. Pause the video and describe these two people in the comments in as much detail as you can and I'll check your answers.

Present Continuous Video

Here is my latest video about the present continuous.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to use the present continuous. We use the present continuous to describe actions that have started, but haven't finished yet. To make present continuous sentences we use be + verb+ing. This chart shows the grammar we need to make present continuous sentences. Let's look at some examples.

What are you doing? I'm reading a book.

What is he doing? He's taking a nap.

What are they doing? They're playing video games.

For negative sentences we add 'not'.

I'm not playing the flute. I'm playing the guitar.

She isn't playing video games. or She's not playing video games. She's listening to music.

You aren't taking a test. or You're not taking a test. You're doing homework.

Here are some examples of yes/no questions.

Am I getting better? Yes, you are.

Is he playing golf? No, he isn't. What is he doing? He's playing tennis.

Are they watching a movie? Yes, they are.

The action we are talking about is not necessarily happening at that time. We can use the present continuous for any action that has started, but which hasn't finished yet. Listen to this conversation as an example:

A: Are you still learning French?
B: Yeah. I'm taking evening classes. What are you doing over the vacation?
A: I'm learning to surf.

Neither of these people are doing those actions now, but they are actions they have started and haven't finished yet.

We also use the present continuous when talking about the near future. We use future time expressions and context to show we are talking about the future. Consider these examples:

What are you doing after class? I'm taking a piano lesson.

What is she doing on the weekend? She's going shopping.

What are they doing next week? They're taking a vacation.

Present Perfect Video

Here is my latest video about the present perfect.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:


In this video we will learn how to use the present perfect. We use the present perfect to talk about events that affect the present. It is the present result that is the focus, rather than the moment of completion. To make present perfect sentences we use have/has plus the past participle. The present perfect has three functions:
1. to describe events in the past at an unspecified time.
2. to describe recent past events.
3. and to describe past events which are continuing through the present.

We talk about experience using the present perfect as events that took place at unspecified times. We use 'ever' to indicate in the lifetime of the subject, and 'never' for negative statements. For example: Have you ever been to New York? No, I haven't. I've never been to New York. Note we use 'been' to describe a completed action, and 'gone' to describe an action that is still happening. Lucy has been to London. This means 'She went to London in the past.' Lucy has gone to London. This means 'She is in London now.'

We also use the present perfect to describe recent events, such as: I have eaten lunch, so I'm not hungry. We often use the present perfect to find out if someone has experienced something, and then talk about that event in the past tense. Have you watched any good movies recently? Yes, I have. I watched The Avengers last weekend.

And finally we use the present perfect to describe past events which are continuing through the present, such as: How long have you been studying English? I have been studying English for five years. Or I have been studying English since I was 15 years old. We use 'yet' to indicate if an expected event has happened. Have you done your homework yet? Yes, I have.