Shops and shopping

TOPICAL VOCABULARY

BASIC WORDS

1. shops: delicatessen; grocery; bakery; confectionery; greengrocery; dry good store/haberdashery; bookshop; gift shop; supermarket; fishmonger; optician; tobacconist; record shop; florist; china shop; perfumery; chemist; drug store; shopping center/mall; off license shop; corner/convenience shop; furniture shop; chain store; hypermarket; specialist retailer; boutique; DIY store; charity shop; local shop; second hand shop; toy shop; computer shop; kiosk; an outlet shop; self-service shop; a Duty Free shop

2. departments in a department store: women’s fashion; menswear; underwear/nightwear; jewelry; cosmetics; fabrics; stationary; consumer electronics; dry and leather goods; textile hosiery; ready-made clothes; accessories

3. vegetable/flea/black/clothes market

4. at the supermarket: bread; dairy products; meat products; fish; grocery; fruit and vegetables

5. shopping for clothes:

General words and expressions: to dress, to get dressed, to get all dolled up, to dress up for parties, to try on, to be tight, to let in, to let out, to be loose, to be short/long, to take in, to take up, to take off, to put on, to change out of smth. into smth., to suit, to match, to fit, to go with smth, to grow out, baggy, loose, tight, close-fitting, long-sleeved, V-neck, round-neck, fitting room

Adjectives for describing people’s clothing: elegant, smart, scruffy, chic, trendy, with-it, well-dressed, badly-dressed, old-fashioned, fashionable, conventional, stylish, casual

Fabrics: silk, cotton, velvet, corduroy, denim, leather, wool, suede, cashmere

Adjectives used to describe the patterns on materials: striped, pin-striped, flowery, polka-dotted, checked, spotted, tartan, plain, patterned; plain

Parts of clothes: cuff, sleeve, zip, button, buckle, belt, braces, collar, hem, laces, heel, sole, suspenders

Types of clothes and shoes: dressing-gown, cardigan, waist coat, trousers, sweater, T-shirt, evening blouse, ribbon, mittens, jeans, dress, skirt, tights, pajamas, shorts, underwear, vest, pants, tuxedo, dinner jacket, jumper, tie, blouse, leather skirt, high heels, trainers, boots, slippers, coat, a fur-coat, evening dress, suit; knickers etc.

6. a catalogue

7. on-line shopping

8. TV shop

9. wholesale

10. a middleman

11. a shopkeeper

12. a stallholder

13. a trader

14. a credit card

15. a discount card/coupon

16. a checkout assistant

17. a receipt

18. a security arch

19. a cash desk

20. “pay here”

21. a cloth/plastic/paper bag

22. to pay cash/ by check

23. bank card

24. cheque book

25. store card

26. exchange office/bureau de change

27. exchange rate (rate of exchange)

28. currency

29. to refund

30. sale/season sale/clearance sale

31. at a reduced price

32. to cut prices

33. to get a discount

34. to get £/$ 10 off

35. to be on sale

36. a rip-off

37. shopping facilities

38. to be out of fashion/style

39. to display

40. a shop window

41. to go window shopping

42. trolley/cart

43. basket

44. carrier bag

45. a label/ a designer label

46. bar code

47. sell-by date

48. faulty goods

49. store hours

50. to wrap up

51. to giftwrap smth

52. to serve a customer/client

53. to pay a deposit

54. to haggle

55. mass-produce goods

56. a packet of frozen berries

57. a tube of margarine/toothpaste

58. a pack of cornflakes/sugar

59. a bottle of oil/milk

60. a carton of milk/juice

61. a box of matches/chocolate/sweets/eggs

62. a can of lemonade/Coke/beer

63. a jar of jam

64. a loaf of bread

65. a head of cabbage

66. a tin of beans/peas/pickles/tomatoes/beats

67. a bar of soap/chocolate