| ACTIONS | |
| get dressed | When you get dressed you put on your clothes or a different set of clothes: 'I had a shower, got dressed and went downstairs.' 'I was still getting dressed for the party when the taxi arrived.' |
| dress oneself | Dress oneself is not common. It is mainly used when you are thinking about the special skill or ability that is required to put on clothes: 'Sally isn't old enough to dress herself yet.' See Language Note at MYSELF. |
| put on | When you put on a piece of clothing or a watch, necklace etc, you put it into position on your body: 'Wait a minute! I haven't put my coat on yet.' 'Put your gloves on or your hands will get cold.' |
| take off | Take off is the opposite of put on: 'I can't wait to take off these new shoes.' 'Why don't you take your coat off and come and sit down?' |
| dress | If you dress someone, you put clothes on them: 'The nurses have to wash and dress the patients before the doctor sees them.' |
| dress up | When you dress up you put on:
(1) a special costume: 'When the children were young, George used to dress up as Father Christmas.'
(2) formal or smart clothes: 'We won't be going to an expensive restaurant so there's no need to dress up.' |
| STATES | |
| wear | When you wear something, it is on a part of your body: 'Did you notice the jacket she was wearing at Alan's party?' 'He always wears smart clothes.' |
| have on | If you have something on, you are wearing it: 'The trousers he had on were too big for him.' 'You won't get cold as long as you have a coat on.' |
| be dressed in/be in | If you are dressed in or are in something, you are wearing it: 'She arrived at the theatre dressed in a long white gown.''Everyone was in their best clothes, but Alex turned up in an old T-shirt and jeans.' |
| be + adverb + dressed | When you are talking about someone's appearance, you can say that they are smartly/neatly/well etc. dressed: 'Make sure you're smartly dressed for the interview.' 'He's always very well dressed - smart jackets, silk ties and so on.' |