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"What Is Your Emergency?" and "Where Are You Located?": 1.language Builder - Calling 911
"What Is Your Emergency?" and "Where Are You Located?": 1.language Builder - Calling 911
Almost everywhere in the U.S., the number 911 can be called in case of
emergency. When you call this number, the two major questions that need to be
answered are:
"What is your emergency?" and "Where are you located?"
EMERGENCIES
Here we have more examples of questions a dispatcher asks when getting an
emergency call.
Now, let's see the callers replies for the situations above.
Affirmative sentences
e.g.: In my country, men go to restaurants on their own. They take their shoes
off.
I drive to work every weekday.
Negatives
Questions
Why
You can answer this type of questions with "Yes" /"No" or by using the
auxiliary verb " Yes, I do."/ "No, I don't." or "Yes, she does."/ "No, she
doesn't."
Adverbs of frequency
You can use adverbs of frequency to say how often things happen.
e.g.:
- The dispatchers are always polite with the callers.
- We usually call for help.
- We often ask someone for help.
- We sometimes receive wrong calls.
- We never ask personal questions.
KINDS OF EMERGENCIES
These are some examples of emergencies you are about to find in the
activity below.
The frequency adverbs indicate the frequency of an action (how often they
happen).
They usually go between the subject and the verb of a sentence, except the
verbs TO BE and the MODAL VERBS, cases when the adverbs of frequency
go after them.
'Never' is used only in affirmative sentences because English grammar does not
allow double negation.
Ex: I never walk to work.- the verb is affirmative.
His friends never miss the "Late Show" on TV. - the verb is affirmative.
Exceptions!
Some of the frequency adverbs can change their place. For example, in affirmative
sentences only, the adverb 'sometimes' can go at the beginning of a sentence,
between the subject and the verb or at the end of the sentence.
'Usually' can also go at the beginning of an affirmative sentence.
The place of the frequency adverbs I have just mentioned depend on what
is more important - the frequency or the action.
Ex:
Usually, he drinks coffee in the morning. (the frequency of the action is more
important in this case)
He usually drinks coffee in the morning.
However, the most important rule you should have in mind when studying
the frequency adverbs is that, no matter the type of a sentence, they stay
before the main verb (except TO BE and the modals).
Ex: I don't usually sleep late. ("sleep" is the main verb of the sentence)
Do you always drink two coffees a day? ("drink" is the main verb of the sentence)
She often leaves town at weekends. ("leave" is the main verb of the sentence)
HEALTH: INJURIES
LANGUAGE BUILDER
1. COMMON INJURIES
I cut my finger
bleeding a bit
using a knife
a plaster
I fell over
I twisted my ankle
on it easily
rest
I broke my arm
it
it's
it's bleeding
I can't walk
I can't use
its very
its swollen
2. HOSPITAL TREATMENT
Wound (noun or verb) and injury are both used to describe damage to the body,
but a wound is generally caused by weapons (e.g. gun or knife) and it is usually
intentional.
Examples:
1. He shot the man in the chest. (=a bullet wound or gunshot wound in the
chest, from a gun);
2. He stabbed him in the back.(= a knife wound or stab wound in the back);
3. He got into a fight and got beaten up. He had a black eye and two broken
ribs.
Useful vocabulary:
- jet lag = the feeling of tiredness and confusion which people experience after
making a long journey in an aircraft to a place where the time is different from the
place they left;
- stomach upsets = stomachache or pain in your stomach;
- bite (noun)= a sore place or injury where an animal or insect has bitten you;
- sunstroke = an illness caused by spending too much time in strong heat and light from the
sun.
You form the Present Continuous with is/are + Present Participle (V + ing).
e.g.: I'm looking at the photos.
Questions
Negatives
answers
Is he drawing?
isn't drawing.
Are you going home?
going home
He
I'm not
In life one of the most important things you can do is to look after your health.
When we have a health problem we can go and see a doctor.
Now let's see the English you need to discuss bad health.
Symptoms
When you see the doctor he (or she) might ask you 'What's wrong?' or 'What's the
problem?' A more specialised question is 'What are your symptoms?'
Symptoms are any feelings of illness or discomfort which are caused by a health
problem.
e.g. If you had the flu (influenza) your symptoms would be a fever, a runny nose
and coughing.
The doctor might also ask 'When did the symptoms start?'
Diagnosis
After telling the doctor your symptoms he will tell you the name of your problem. A
diagnosis is when a doctor tells you the medical name of your problem.
For example, you tell your doctor your symptoms: 'I have a fever, a runny nose and
I have been sneezing.' Your doctor says: 'My diagnosis is that you have the flu.'
Look at this form we can use to talk about our health problems:
'I have a cough.' (PRESENT SIMPLE)
The Present Simple is used to focus on a situation at the present. It is more
common to use the present simple than other tenses when we see a doctor: 'My
head hurts' is more common than 'My head is hurting'.
We also use:
I have + noun
I feel + adjective
Types of illness
Allergy
(adjective - Allergic) To have a bad reaction to animals, dust, foods or plants. The
symptoms are red eyes, runny nose and sneezing.
Cough
(verb - To cough) Pronounced 'coff'. To force air out of the lungs making a loud
and uncomfortable noise:'Smoking makes me cough.'
Dizziness
(adjective - Dizzy). To have the feeling that everything around you is spinning.'I
felt dizzy after standing up too quickly when I was in the bath.'
Fever / Temperature
A rise in body temperature. To feel hot.
The Flu
(also called Influenza) A very strong cold caused by a virus. Symptoms include:
fever, headache, runny nose and sneezing.
Hay Fever
An allergy to plants and the pollen from flowers. The symptoms are red eyes, a
runny nose and sneezing.
Insomnia
Not being able to sleep at night.
Rash
Uncomfortable, itchy, red spots on the skin. A skin condition. 'She got a rash on her
hand after touching a strange plant.'
Rundown / Under the Weather
(idioms) Both of these mean a general feeling of sickness. Rundown usually comes
from living an unhealthy lifestyle. Under the weather means to not feel your
usual, healthy self.
Runny Nose
Mucus coming from the nose. The need to blow your nose a lot.
Sneeze
(verb to Sneeze) An uncontrollable movement of air from the nose and mouth.
'The strong smell of flowers makes me sneeze.'
Sunburn
Red and painful skin that comes from being in the sun too long.
+ ache
bad +
sore +
headache /
backache /
stomachache/
muscle ache
bad back
bad head
bad leg
sore eyes
sore throat
sore feet
FIRST AID
I. Read carefully the four kinds of First Aid that might be needed in case of
an emergency.
a. If possible, switch off the current before approaching the casualty. If this is not
possible, use a piece of wood to move the casualty away from the power source.
b. Never apply water to a burn from an electric shock while the casualty is still in
contact with the electric current.
c. Treat such burns as any other burns described above.
d. After such an accident, the patient will be in shock. Keep him/ her warm and
reassure him/ her by remaining calm.
VOCABULARY STUDY
1. MEDICAL ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
CPR/ Resuscitation
ABBREVIATION FOR cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a method used to keep
someone alive in a medical emergency, in which you blow into their mouth then
press on their chest and then repeat the process;
to administer/perform CPR
E.R./ ER
ABBREVIATION FOR Emergency Room
O.R./ OR
US ABBREVIATION FOR operating room
M.R.I.
ABBREVIATION FOR magnetic resonance imaging: a system for producing electronic
pictures of the organs inside a person's body, using radio waves and a strong
magnetic field
I.V./ IV
ABBREVIATION FOR intravenous:
Ex: IV drug users
2. SERIOUS CONDITIONS
CANCER - it is a serious disease that is caused when cells in the body grow in a
way that is uncontrolled and not normal, killing normal cells and often causing
death;
TYPHOID (FEVER) - it is an infectious disease spread by dirty water and food,
causing a high body temperature, red spots on the upper body, severe pains in the
bowels and sometimes death.
You use this tense to talk about a past action or event that is finished.
You form the Past Simple of most regular verbs by adding -ed.
walk
see - saw
give - gave
Questions
meet - met
Short answers
Negatives
Yes, it was.
No, it wasnt.
Yes, he did.
No, he didnt.
You can use who, what or which to ask about the subject of the sentence.
You dont use did.
Thomas Cook.
The meeting.
You can use who, what or which and other question words to ask about the
object of the sentence.
You use did.
e.g. Who did he take on the first package trip?
What did he do on his vacation?
500 workers.
He visited many cities.
Compare:
Subject
Thomas Cook.
Object
LANGUAGE BUILDER
DISASTERS & TRAGEDIES
Global Problems are a major issue the world is facing nowadays. Most of them are
the result of our attitude towards our planet and its resources. That's why we speak
about pollution in big cities, famine in IIIrd World countries, epidemics (diseases
affecting large numbers of people), civil wars and other conflicts. These are
natural disasters and tragedies.
A disaster is when something terrible happens, which often results in death,
destruction and suffering. Here are a few examples of disasters:
Headlines
'Rabies out of control in many parts of Asia' = disease can be caused by bite from
a dog, a fox, etc.; very serious
'... yellow fever figures drop' = tropical disease; skin goes yellow
'New Malaria Drug Tested' = usually caught by mosquito bites
'Minister says fight against leprosy goes on' = terrible skin desease; leaves the
skin deformed
'Cholera and typhoid injections not needed says Tourism Minister' = diseases
casusing sickness, diarrohea; often due to infected food or water
You use the Past Continuous to talk about something that was in progress
at a specific time in the past.
What were you doing at nine o'clock yesterday morning? I was going to work.
You also use the Past Continuous Tense to talk about something that was
in progress at the time something else happened or interrupted it. In this
case you join the two parts of the sentence with WHEN. The verb in the
clause starting with WHEN is usually in the Past Simple. Read the
examples below.
Ex:
I was cooking when he called.
They were swimming when she left.
He was doing his homework when the phone rang.
I was watching TV when I heard a strange noise downstairs.
Remember that you don't usually use the following verbs in the continuous
tenses:
BELIEVE, FEEL, HEAR, KNOW, LIKE, SEE, SMELL, SOUND, TASTE, THINK,
UNDERSTAND, WANT, etc.
For more information study again the list of verbs that are not used in
continuous tenses which is presented in Unit 2, Grammar 1.
2. You can use the Past Continuous with WHILE to talk about something
that was in progress at the time something else happened or interrupted it.
You need a comma at the end of the clause starting with WHILE.
Ex:
While they were visiting the Palace, one of the women had an idea.
You can also put the WHILE clause at the end of the sentence. You don't
need a comma.
Ex:
One of the women had an idea while they were visiting the Palace.
You use WHEN + Past Simple to describe two things which happened one
after the other. The second verb is often in the Past Simple.
Ex:
When the women got closer, they saw some people in eighteenth-century clothes.
LANGUAGE BUILDER
A DOMESTIC FIRE
Seven thousand people are injured in kitchen fires each year and that doesnt
include the people who are killed.
Nearly two thirds of all domestic fires happen because of cooking. The kitchen is the
single most dangerous place in your home or in a restaurant, and time and time
again it is the same problems that cause fires. If you know about those problems,
the chances are that you will be less likely to have a fire in your kitchen.
FRYING
Deep fat fryers fires cause one fifth of all accidental dwelling fires attended by the
Fire and Rescue Service in the UK each year. About twenty people are killed or
injured every day in accidental fires that start in their kitchen, the most common of
these are caused by deep fat frying. If you do choose to use a deep fat fryer, make
sure you do it safely.
Think about what youre doing when youre deep fat frying; remember you are
heating several pints of oil to extremely high temperatures. The oil can cause
terrible burns and go up in flames. In fact, its an ideal fuel for a fire, and difficult to
put out.
A few tips:
Never fill a deep fat fryer more than a third full of oil.
The safest way to deep fry is to use a thermostat-controlled electric deep fat
fryer. Its thermostat stops it from overheating, better still choose oven chips.
Never leave your cooking unattended, even if the phone or doorbell rings.
Remember, fires start when your attention stops.
Dry your food in a clean tea towel before putting it in the fryer this is
because water can make the oil erupt violently.
Test the temperature with a small piece of bread or potato. If it crisps
quickly, the oil is too hot so turn off the heat and leave it to cool.
If there are flames, never throw water over the pan, otherwise it will erupt
violently spreading the fire.
USEFUL VOCABULARY
MAKING A REQUEST/
RESPONSES
Sure, no problem.
All right.
Ok.
May I ...?
Sure.
Yes.
Yes, of course.
OFFERING ASSISTANCE
REFUSING ASSISTANCE
PERMISSION GIVEN
OK.
Sure, go ahead.
Is it OK if I ...?
All right.
PERMISSION DENIED
There are many words and expressions that you can use to give someone
permission to do something when they have just asked you for it. 'Of course', 'Yes,
do', 'By all means' are formal and emphatic.
If you are not certain or enthusiastic about giving permission, you can say 'I don't
see why not'. You can also give someone permission to do something by simply
saying 'You may ...'.
CRIME
LANGUAGE BUILDER
B. Crimes
Crime/
Criminal (= person)/
Verb
C. Crime Prevention
What can governments do to fight crime (= take action to stop crime)? These
things happen in some countries, although many people may think that this is not a
good idea.
Police carry (= have) guns.
Police are allowed to (= are permitted to) stop anyone in the street and question
them.
The court gives tougher punishments for crimes commited than in the past (e.g.
bigger fines or longer prison sentences than in the past).
There is capital punishment (= death, e.g. by electric chair or hanging) for some
crimes.
What can individuals do to prevent a crime from happening (= stop a crime
happening)?
Here are things some people do to protect themselves and their property (=
home and land), although you may not think they are all a good idea.
Don't walk along dark streets late at night (e.g. midnight) on your own (= alone).
Lock all doors and windows when you go out.
Don't wear expensive jewellery.
Leave lights on at home when you go out.
Fit (= install) a burglar alarm (= a machine which makes a noise if someone
enters your home).
Make sure your money is safe, e.g. wear a money belt.
Put money and valuables (= valuable possessions) in a safe (= a strong, metal
box which is very difficult to open or break).
People should be able to defend themselves. There are self-defense classes that
help a lot.