Now fill the gaps using the expressions above.

1 [Nurse to visitor in a hospital] ‘I’m sorry, Mr Pickering is rather _____ today and we’re not allowing visitors.’

2 [Someone speaking to a colleague just returned to work after an illness] ‘Hello? Frank? Good to see you _____.

3 [Person ringing their place of work] ‘Jo? I won’t be in today, I’ve _____ a cold.’

4 [Person in hospital, just beginning to get better, talking to a visitor] ‘Oh, I’m OK. I’m _____ now. I still feel bad, but I should be out within a week or do.’

5 [Parent to a child with a cold] ‘Don’t worry, darling. Everyone has a cold now and then. You’ll _____ it.’

6 [Someone to their partner, who is worried about them] ‘Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. I’m just feeling _____, that’s all.

7 [Someone ringing a workmate] ‘I’m trying to _____ the flu, but nothing seems to help. I don’t think I’ll be in work tomorrow.’

8 Hilary was quite ill last week, but she’s _____ now and should be back at work next week.

 

C Which of these collocations are normal, and which are not normal? Correct the inappropriate ones.

1 Her mother died with skin cancer.

2 Is there a prescription price in your country?

3 In Britain, national security is a separate tax from income tax.

4 Healthcare is the biggest item in the nation’s budget.

5 Are there insurance societies for private healthcare in your country?

6 Private dentists charge very high fees.

7 She suffers of a severe allergy and can’t be in a smoky room.

 

D Complete the word formation table

verb	noun	adjective
		pregnant
breastfeed
		sensitive
clot
	drug
	dehydration
	ulcer
	effect

Health and illness II

 

Study words, phrases and collocations

A Minor ailments and ways of talking about minor problems

Note that hurt is different from ache:

My arm hurts where I banged it against the car door. [gives pain caused by in injury]

My wrists ache from too much typing at the computer.

 

The fixed expression (the usual) aches and pains is often used to refer in a non-serious way to minor problems

A: How’ve you been keeping recently? Mona?

B: Oh fine, you know, just the usual aches and pains.

 

The fixed expression cuts and bruises can refer to minor injuries.

A: I hear you fell off your bicycle. Are you all right?

B: Yeah, fine, just a few cuts and bruises, nothing serious.

 

Some other kinds of physical discomfort:

My hand is stinging since I touched that plant. [sudden, burning pain]

My head is throbbing. [beating with pain]

I have a stiff neck from turning round to look at the computer screen all day. I’ll have to move the monitor to a better position. [pain and difficulty in moving your neck round]

I feel a bit dizzy. I feel I should sit down. [a feeling that you are spinning round and can’t balance]

She was a bit feverish this morning, so I told her to stay in bed. [with a high temperature]

I had a terrible nauseous feeling after taking the medicine, but it passed. [feeling that you want to vomit]

He was trembling all over; I knew it must be something serious. [shaking]

My nose is all bunged up today with this horrible cold. [blocked]

 

Other informal expressions that mean ‘not well, but not seriously ill’:

You look a bit off-colour today. Are you all right?

I was feeling a bit under the weather, so I stayed home that day.

I’m just feeling a bit out of sorts, it’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be fine tomorrow.

 

B Alternative medicine

Nowadays a lot of people prefer alternative medicine. For example:

Acupuncture            chiropractic                      herbal medicine

homeopathy: taking tiny amounts of natural substances to treat an illness

aromatherapy: using aromatic oils and massage

Language focus. Do the exercises.

A Correct the mistakes in the sentences.

1 She was feeling out of the weather and a bit fevering so she took the day off.

2 I felt really off my colour yesterday and my head was throwing, so I took a tablet.

3 I felt a bit off the sorts and seemed to have more pains and aches than usual.

4 My arms are hurting after carrying that heave suitcase.