一、首先应区分开 cloth 与 clothes / clothing：cloth表示“布”、“衣料”,是不可数名词.如：
She bought some cloth to make herself a dress.她买了些布要给自己做一件连衣裙.
表示用作某种特殊用途的布(如：桌布,台布,揩布等),是可数名词.如：
Clean the windows with a soft cloth.用块软布擦窗子.
二、clothes 和 clothing 均可表示“衣服”,用作“衣服”的统称,但在用法上有差别：
1.clothes 是一个没有单数形式的复数名词,其前不可加不定冠词,也不可加数词,但可用 some,these,those,many,few 等词修饰.如：
正：those clothes / few clothes / many clothes
误：a clothes / two clothes / three clothes
2.clothing 是不可数名词.如：
They wear very little clothing.他们衣服穿得很少.
3.比较而言：clothes 的含义比较具体,而 clothing 的含义则比较抽象.从语体上看,clothing 比 clothes 更正式.比较：
I changed my clothes.我换了衣服.
He is washing his clothes.他在洗衣服.
Our clothing protects us against the cold.我们的衣服可以御寒.
We are well provided with food and clothing.我们吃得好,穿得好.
若不考虑其细微区别,两者常可换用(注：一个是复数,一个不可数).如：
He spent a lot of money on clothes [clothing].他花了许多钱买衣服.