The real price of cheap clothes

What's in the lesson

1. 1Warm-up
2. 2In this lesson
3. 3Guess the words (1)Vocabulary exercise
4. 4Guess the words (2)Vocabulary exercise
5. 5Check the wordsVocabulary
6. 6Check your understandingReading comprehension
7. 7Listen: a year without new clothesListening comprehension
8. 8Use the new wordsVocabulary exercise
9. 9What does the linker do?Grammar exercise
10. 10LinkersGrammar rule
11. 11Choose the best linkerGrammar exercise
12. 12Link the ideasGrammar exercise
13. 13Say it naturallySpeaking practice
14. 14Debate: a tax on fast fashion?Speaking practice
15. 15Let's discussDiscussion
16. 16Wrap-up

Homework

1. 1Homework: closest meaningVocabulary exercise
2. 2Homework: your sentencesVocabulary exercise
3. 3Homework: choose the linkerGrammar exercise
4. 4Homework: your opinionDiscussion

Words

• trend/trend/

  a new fashion or way of doing things that many people follow for a time

• brand/brænd/

  a company's name for its products, or the company itself (a fashion brand)

• wage/weɪdʒ/

  the money a worker is paid, usually for each hour or each week (a living wage: enough money to live on)

• synthetic/sɪnˈθetɪk/

  made by people from chemicals, not from natural things like cotton or wool

• toxic/ˈtɑːksɪk/

  poisonous and dangerous to people, animals or nature

• landfill/ˈlændfɪl/

  a big hole in the ground where garbage is buried

• secondhand/ˌsekəndˈhænd/

  used and owned by someone else before you (buy something secondhand: buy it used)

• sustainable/səˈsteɪnəbl/

  able to continue for a long time without hurting the environment

• long-lasting/ˌlɔːŋ ˈlæstɪŋ/

  staying in good condition for a long time

• impulse buy/ˈɪmpʌls baɪ/

  something you buy suddenly, without planning or thinking about it

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

Let's talk about clothes and shopping.

1. Do you enjoy shopping for clothes? Where do you usually shop?
2. How many items of clothing do you think you own?
3. Would you rather have many cheap clothes or a few expensive ones?

Grammar rule

Linkers

Linking two sentences

Meaning	Linkers	Example
contrast (but)	however	My closet was full. However, I had nothing to wear.
result (so)	therefore, as a result	Slow fashion is expensive. Therefore, many people can't afford it.
adding (and, also)	moreover, in addition	I saved money. Moreover, I felt happier.

On the other hand is also a contrast, but only between two sides of one question: Working from home saves time. On the other hand, it can feel lonely.

Punctuation

These linkers usually start a new sentence and have a comma after them: …was full. However, I… You can also use a semicolon: …was full; however, I… Not My closet was full, however I had nothing to wear.

Formal or informal?

In conversation, people usually say but, so and also. The linkers however, therefore and moreover are more common in writing: emails, essays and reports.

however is not although: Although clothes are cheap, they cost the planet a lot. (one sentence) · Clothes are cheap. However, they cost the planet a lot. (two sentences)