Core words by topic

Body and basic checks
head, throat, chest, stomach, back, muscle, joint, skin, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, height, weight

Symptoms
fever, cough, sore throat, headache, cold, flu, allergy, rash, pain, nausea, dizziness, tiredness, swelling, injury, wound

Visits and people
appointment, clinic, hospital, pharmacy, receptionist, nurse, doctor, specialist, patient, emergency, referral

Tests and treatment
test, scan, x ray, blood test, result, diagnosis, prescription, dosage, tablet, capsule, syrup, cream, vaccine, therapy, surgery, recovery

Lifestyle
balanced diet, hydration, exercise, sleep, stress, habit, routine, prevention, check-up

High value collocations

• book an appointment, see a doctor, visit a clinic
• take medicine, follow the dosage, finish the course
• get vaccinated, have a blood test, receive results
• rest at home, drink plenty of water, get enough sleep
• manage stress, build a healthy habit, follow a balanced diet
• regular check-ups, early diagnosis, quick recovery

Model lines

• I booked an appointment and picked up the prescription.
• She followed the dosage and recovered in two weeks.

Phrasal verbs for health

• come down with = start to get. I came down with the flu.
• fight off = resist. He fought off a cold with rest.
• get over = recover from. She got over the fever quickly.
• cut down on = reduce. Cut down on sugar and fried food.
• give up = stop. He gave up smoking last year.
• work out = exercise. I work out three times a week.
• fill out = complete. Please fill out the patient form.
• pick up = collect. I will pick up the medicine at 5.

Useful sentence frames

At a clinic

• I would like to book an appointment for Tuesday morning.
• My main symptom is a sore throat and a mild fever.
• Do I need any tests or scans

At a pharmacy

• The doctor prescribed these tablets. How should I take them
• Are there any side effects I should know about

Lifestyle and advice

• I plan to improve my diet and sleep routine.
• The nurse advised me to drink more water.

Common mistakes and easy fixes

• ❌ I have a fever since two days.
  ✅ I have had a fever for two days.
• ❌ He suggested to do exercise.
  ✅ He suggested doing exercise.
  ✅ He advised me to exercise.
• ❌ I took my breakfast tablet in night.
  ✅ I took my morning tablet at night.
• ❌ I have many informations about the treatment.
  ✅ I have a lot of information about the treatment.
• ❌ She has a flu.
  ✅ She has flu.
• ❌ I am allergic with peanuts.
  ✅ I am allergic to peanuts.

Small grammar notes

• Uncountable health words: information, advice, equipment, luggage, research. Use some or a lot of, not many.
• Articles: a cold, the flu season, Ø flu.
• Prepositions: allergic to, recover from, suffer from, comply with, good for you.
• Time words: for two days, since Monday, in the morning, at night.
• Numbers and dosage: take two tablets twice a day, 5 millilitres every six hours.

Mini dialogues

A. Booking

• Patient: I would like an appointment for Friday.
• Reception: Ten thirty is available. Please arrive ten minutes early.

B. Consultation

• Doctor: What brings you in today
• Patient: I have a cough and a headache.
• Doctor: I will order a blood test and give you a mild syrup.

C. Pharmacy

• Customer: How often should I take this tablet
• Pharmacist: One tablet after meals, three times a day.

Quick practice with answers

A. Choose the best option

1. I want to (book or make) an appointment.
2. She (came down with or came up with) the flu.
3. He will (get over or get off) the cold soon.
4. Please (fill out or fill up) this form.
5. The doctor (prescribed or described) an antibiotic.

Answers

1. book
2. came down with
3. get over
4. fill out
5. prescribed

B. Complete the collocation
6) follow the ______ → dosage or advice
7) balanced ______ → diet
8) regular ______ → check-ups
9) drink plenty of ______ → water
10) quick ______ → recovery

C. Fix the sentence
11) I am allergic with shellfish.
12) He suggested to sleep earlier.
13) She has a fever since Monday.

Suggested answers
11) I am allergic to shellfish.
12) He suggested sleeping earlier.
13) She has had a fever since Monday.

Writing frames you can reuse

Email to a clinic
Subject: Appointment request
Dear Clinic,
I would like to book a check-up for Tuesday, 12 March at 11 am. My symptoms are a sore throat and a mild cough. Please confirm the time and fee.
Kind regards,
Name

Self care plan paragraph
This month I will cut down on sugary drinks, cook simple meals at home, and work out three days a week. I will sleep before eleven and drink at least two liters of water a day. I will book a routine check-up next month.

Ten minute drills

• Write ten collocations with diet, sleep, and exercise.
• Record a sixty second summary of your last clinic visit using five target words.
• Create eight flashcards: front symptom or action, back definition and example.
• Paraphrase a short advice paragraph in your own words.

Seven day review plan

• Day 1 body parts and symptoms
• Day 2 visits and people
• Day 3 tests and treatment
• Day 4 lifestyle and habits
• Day 5 phrasal verbs and sentence frames
• Day 6 error correction and pronunciation
• Day 7 write a 120 word health routine using 12 target items