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If I ask a pupil about what clothes he wears to school, which is correct?

Do you wear a uniform to go to school?
Do you wear uniform clothes to go to school?

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1  
Simply uniform will do – Philoto Aug 5 '11 at 11:01

1 Answer

up vote 11 down vote

The correct sentence is

Do you wear a uniform to go to school?

In fact you can simply say

Do you wear a uniform to school?

in this case.

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+1. Uniform as an adjective doesn't mean exactly the same thing as a noun. "a uniform" is a prescribed outfit. "uniform clothes" might mean "clothing that is part of a uniform" or "clothing that is all the same". – Mr. Shiny and New 安宇 Aug 5 '11 at 12:01
5  
I think even more common is simply Do you wear school uniform? – FumbleFingers Aug 5 '11 at 12:03
3  
@FumbleFingers: Shouldn't it be "Do you wear a school uniform?" or "Do you wear the school uniform?" ? – FrustratedWithFormsDesigner Aug 5 '11 at 14:16
@FrustratedWithFormsDesigner: Here are plenty of written instances that don't use an article. Plus several upvotes for my comment surely prove that many of us are quite happy with the usage, which I don't think is any less "formal" than your alternatives. – FumbleFingers Aug 5 '11 at 14:26

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