TALKING ABOUT SSICKNESS AND SYMPTOMS

Objectives:

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

 Ask about somebody’s health

 Answer questions about one’s health
 Describe sickness
 Describe symptoms
 Express sympathy
 Gives advice
 Identify parts of body

Dialogue 1
Mary : “How are you, Sinta.”
Sinta : “I don’t feel well.”
Mary : “What’s wrong with you?”
Sinta : “I don’t know. I just feel dizzy and cold.”
Mary : “Let me touch your forehead. Oh, it’s very warm.”
Sinta : “Yes, I have. I’ve tried several kind of medicine.”
Mary : “I think you should see a doctor.”
Sinta : “Yes, I will. I came here actually to ask for permission.”
Mary : “you’d better jusst gop now. Don’t worry, I’ll tell our boss about you.”

Dialogue 2

Doctor : “Please sit down there.”

Patient: “Thank you.”
Doctor: “Can you tell me what your problem are?”
Patient: “I feel very cold, but my body is very warm. And it’s hurting when I
swallow something.”
Doctor: “How long have you had this sickness?”
Patient: “I’ve had it for three days.
Doctor: “All right. I’m going to give you an injection and after that I’m writing a prescription for you.
So,now please lie down on the bad.”
Patient: “All right.”

Questions:

1. What’s wrong with Sinta?

2. What are the symptoms that she has?
3. Why did she come to the office?
4. What problems does the patient have?
5. How long has he had the problem?
6. What will the doctor give to the patient?

To ask about somebody’s health:

 How are you?  How do you feel today?
 What’s wrong with you?  Do you feel okay? You look sick.
 What happened to you?  Do you feel better today?
 What’s the problem?  Are you sick?
  What are the problems?  Are you okay?
 What seems tobe the problem?  Are you feeling okay?
 What do you feel?  Do you need to see a doctor?
 What are the symptoms?  Do you need some medicine?

To tell symptoms with verbs or adjectives.

 I don’t feel well.  I’ve got a nagging pain in my shoulder.” (nagging

 I am not feeling well. = a pain that won’t go away)
 I feel dizzy and cold.  I’ve got a sore throat.
 I’ve got pains all over my body.  I’ve got a slight headache.
 It hurts when .................................  I’ve got a pain in…
 I am sick.  I’m not sleeping very well at the moment.
 I am feeling sick.  I am under the weather.
 I feel sick.  I feel as sick as a dog.
 I think that I am getting sick.  I feel awful.
 I might be getting sick.  I feel terrible.
 I am in a lot of pain.  I am dizzy.
 I feel a bit under the weather.  I am nauseous.
 I’m not feeling very well.” / “I don’t feel very  I think I am going throw up.
well.  I need to vomit.
 I’m not feeling a hundred percent.  I'm shivering.
 I think I’m going down with a cold.  I'm cold.
 I feel a little faint.  I feel weak.
 I feel a bit dizzy.” (when your head is spinning)  My body is tired.
 I’ve got a splitting headache – I hope it’s not a
migraine.

To describe your sickness/symptoms:

 HAVE GOT + SICKNESS/SYMPTOMS

- I’ve got a headache/ a stomachache/ an earache/ a toothache
- I think I’ve got a bit of a temperature.
- I’ve got a nasty cough.

 PART OF BODY + ACHES/IS ACHING

- My head/ stomach/ ear/ tooth/ leg aches/is aching

 HAVE GOT + SORE + PART OF BODY

- I’ve got a sore eye/leg/lip/arm/foot/ear

 PART OF BODY + IS + SORE

- My eye/leg/lip/are/foot/ear is sore

 PART OF BODY + IS + SICKNESS

- My leg is broken.
- My nose is stopped up.

 HAVE/HAS + SICKNESS (to be specific about the disease or symptom)

 - I have a cold.
- He has the flu.
- I have a fever.
- He has a bad cough.
- I have a sore throat.
- I have an earache.
- I have a stomachache.
- She has a headache.
- I have a toothache.
- My grandmother has diabetes.
- I have skin cancer.
- I have a bit of a stomach bug.”
- I have a touch of (the) flu. (Flu = influenza)

 PART OF BODY + HURTS

- My head hurts. (I have a headache.)
- My knee hurts.
- My tooth hurts.
- My shoulder hurts.
- My finger hurts.
- My stomach hurts.

 PART OF BODY + IS KILLING

- My neck is killing me today!
- My back is killing me!

To express sympathy:
- I hope you feel better soon.
- I’m sorry to hear that.
- Actually, you don’t look very well.
- You look a little pale.
- Get better/well soon.
- Take care of yourself.
- Shall I get you an aspirin?

To give advice:

- Make sure that you get lots of rest.

- Get some rest.
- Make sure to drink lots of water.
- Try to drink some tea.
- You need to get lots of sleep.
- Take some medicine.
- Go to the hospital today.
- Maybe you should go home and get some rest.
- Why don’t you go home and have a lie-down.
- Is there anything I can do?

REMEMBER:
1. Common Disease:
1. Allergies 13. Headaches
2. Arthritis 14. Cancer
 3. Diarrhea 15. HIV/AIDS
4. Heart Disease 16. Conjunctivitis
5. Stroke 17. Infection
6. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary 18. Salmonella
Disease 19. Epilepsy
7. Flu 20. Gonorrhea
8. Common cold 21. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
9. Meningitis 22. Ebola
10. Asthma 23. Mononucleosis
11. Tuberculosis 24. Sexually transmitted infection
12. Diabetes

2. Diseases caused by virus / Viral Diseases

 Chickenpox
 Herpes
 Influenza
 AIDS
 Mumps
 Measles
 Viral Hepatitis

3. Diseases caused by bacteria - Most Deadly Bacterial Infections

 Tuberculosis
 Anthrax
 Tetanus
 Leptospirosis
 Pneumonia
 Cholera
 Botulism
 Pseudomonas Infection
4. Diseases caused by fungi / Fungal Diseases
 Aspergillosis. Aspergillosis.
 Blastomycosis. Blastomycosis. ...
 Candidiasis
 Candida auris
 Coccidioidomycosis
 Fungal Community-Acquired Pneumonias.
 C. neoformans Infection

5. Human diseases causative and mode of transmission

Diseases Causative microorganism Mode of transmission

Tuberculosi
Bacteria: Mycobacterium tuberculosis Air
s
 Typhoid Bacteria: Salmonella typhi Contaminated food and water

Measles Virus: Measles virus Air

Cholera Bacteria: Vibrio cholerae Contaminated food and water

6. Communicable diseases
 Tuberculosis.
 Coronavirus infections.
 Dengue.
 Climate Change and Health.
 Measles.
 HIV/AIDS.
 Hepatitis B
 Malaria
 Hepatitis C
 Dengue
 Chickenpox / Shingles.
 COVID-19.
 Ebola.
 Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE)
7. Non-communicable diseases
 Parkinson's
 Autoimmune
 Strokes
 Heart diseases
 Cancers
 Diabetes
 Chronic kidney
 Osteoarthritis
 Osteoporosis
 Alzheimer's disease
 Cataracts, and others. NCDs may be chronic or acute.
 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (also called Lou Gehrig's disease)
 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
 Bell's palsy.
 Bipolar disorder.
 Birth defects.
8. Most Common School-Age Illnesses
 Stomach Flu/Gastroenteritis (caused by a virus and can spread rapidly)
 Strep Throat (caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus pyogenes that lives in the nose and throat)
 Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. ...
 Pink Eye
 Head Lice
 Influenza
 Chickenpox
  Meningitis

10. Common infectious diseases caused by bacteria:

 Strep throat.
 Salmonella.
 Tuberculosis.
 Whooping cough (pertussis).
 Chlamydia, gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
 Urinary tract infections (UTIs).
 E. coli.
 Clostridioides difficile (C. diff).

11. Viral infections Diseases

 COVID-19.
 Influenza (the flu)
 HIV, which can lead to AIDS.
 Meningitis (there is also bacterial meningitis)
 Pneumonia (there is also bacterial pneumonia)
 Human papillomavirus (HPV)
 Herpes.
 Rotavirus.

Discussion on health
1. Are you a healthy person? How often do you get sick?
2. What are the best ways to avoid getting sick?
3. Do you take vitamins? Do they really help people, or do they just have a placebo effect?
4. How often do you get a medical check-up? How often should people get a check-up?
5. Do you ever wear a face mask in public? Do you wear it to protect yourself or others?
6. What healthy habits do you have (such as washing your hands before eating)?
7. Have you ever broken a bone? What happened?
8. Kids get injured often and seem to recover quickly. How well do you recover from bumps and
bruises these days?
9. Do you trust doctors? Completely? Why or why not?
10. Who is the healthiest person you know? What do they do to stay healthy?
11. What is more important to take care of: mental health or physical health?
12. People sometimes say that 'laughter is the best medicine.' What do you think this means? Do you agree?
13. In your country, which traditional remedies or herbal medicines are popular?
14. Acupuncture, a treatment in which thin needles are inserted into the skin, is common in traditional
Chinese medicine. Have you tried it? If so, did it help you? If not, would you like to try it?
15. Have you ever been faced with a medical emergency? What did you do?
16. How do you feel when you see blood?
17. Some people oppose vaccinations because they believe they are risky. Do you believe in being
vaccinated?
18. How do you feel about surgery? Would you consider having surgery that isn't completely necessary,
like plastic surgery?
19. What foods are good for your health? How important is healthy food to staying healthy?
20. Lifespans are getting longer. How long do you expect your generation will live on average?
21. How do companies in your country treat sick workers? Do employees receive paid sick days to help
with recovery from sickness?

Exercise 1

1. Not being able to sleep at night is called ……….

A. rash B sneeze C. hay fever D. insomnia

2. Some people are …….

A. allergic B. allergy

3. A doctor who operates on people is called ……

A. cardiologist B. dentist C. opticia D. surgeon

4. My nose has been ….

A. run B. running

5. I …….. a fever
A. am having B. have

6. I have ……. throat.

A. sore B. ache

7. I have a stomach --------

A. ache B. sore C. bad

8. I’m feeling a little under the ----------

A. run down B. weather/temperature

9. Doctor: What are your ……………

A. wrongs B. problem C. symptoms
10. Take this …………. to the pharmacy and get your medicine.
A. chemist B. prescription C. patient

Exercise 2

Fill in the blank with the following words.

hurt sick aches pains problem wrong take

how sore medicine have injection terrible a
pills doctor examined stomach appoinment prescription

Last time when I was .................. 1.............. I went to a .............2 ...............of course, I made an ..................
3 ............................ before hand. In the doctor’s room, the doctor ............... 4 ........... my body. Then I had
an ............. 5 .................. after that. The doctor was very kind. He asked me lots of questions. This is some
of the conversation we had.

Doctor said: “You look terrible. What’s ........................ 7.................. with you?”
I said : “I ..................... 8 ............... got ................. 9............... all over my Body?”
Doctor said: “What seems to be the .................... 10....................?”
I said: “I don’t know , Doc. But my back .......................11............. My chest is .................12 ................... I
feel ............... 13................ and I always want to vomit.”
The doctor then touched my ................................ 14 ................. and asked me again.
Doctor said:”................... 15......................... does it feel? Does it ........................... 16 ..........................?”
I said : “Yes, Doc.”
Doctor said: “Have you taken any ...................... 17 ..................................?”
I said: “Yes I have. I bought it from a stall.”
Doctor said : “Now please buy this prescription. They are ...................18.............. Please ..........19 ...... them
three times.................. 20............... day.”
I said: “All right, Doc. Thank you very much.”

Exercise 3

Determine whether the sentences below should be expressed in the present perfect or simple past tense.

For example:
I had an accident in 1987
I have a car accident twice.

1. ............................... medicine .................................... in the morning.

2. ............................... hospital ...................................... since the fourth.
3. ............................... computer .................................... for two years.
4. ............................... English ....................................... SMP.
5. ............................... doctor ......................................... last june.
6. ............................... Bali ............................................. four three times.
7. ............................... USA ............................................ last year.
8. ............................... Poyechnics .................................. two years
9. ..................................................................................... last month.
10. ..................................................................................... since 1945.

Exercise 4

Ask your friends about who often gets the sickness listed below. Ask them why he/she got the sickness and
how he/she recorved from it.
For example:

U : Have you ever had a stomach-ache?

Adi : Yes, I have.
U : Why did you have it?
Adi : Because I ate food that was too spicy.
U : How did you recover from it?
Adi : I took medicine called ‘Promag’.

No. Sicknesses Name Why did he have it? How did he recover it?
1. Stomach-ache Adi He ate spicy food He took a medicine
2. Toot-ache
3. Fever
4. Ear-ache
5. Sore-eye
6. Rash
7. Measles
8. Flu
9. Stopped-up
10. Nose

Exercise 5
 Answer the following questions:

I : “Have you ever had an anemia?

U : .........................................................................
I : “What about a sore eye? Have you ever had it?”
U : .........................................................................
I : “Why did you have it?”
U : .........................................................................
I : “How did you recover from it?”
U : .........................................................................
I : “Have you ever been hospitalized?”
U : .........................................................................
I : “Can you tell me about it?”
U : .........................................................................
I : “I think I’ve learnt from you how to recover from a sickness?”

Disease List:
 Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome  Haemophilus infection  Invasive meningococcal disease
(AIDS)  Nephropathia epidemica  Invasive pneumococcal disease
 Alkhurma haemorrhagic fever  Nipah virus diseaseNorovirus  Japanese encephalitis virus
 Anaplasmosis infection  Lassa fever
 Anthrax  Paratyphoid fever  Legionnaires’ disease
 Arenavirus  Pertussis  Leishmaniasis
 Avian influenza virus  Piroplasmosis  Leptospirosis
 Babesiosis  Plague  Listeriosis
 Bordetella (pertussis)  Pneumococcal disease  Louse borne relapsing fever
 Borreliosis  Poliomyelitis  Louse-borne diseases
 Botulism  Q fever  Louse-borne typhus
 Brucellosis  Quintan fever  Lyme disease (borreliosis)
 Campylobacteriosis  Rabies  Lymphogranuloma venereum
 Chickenpox (varicella)  Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). (LGV)
 Chikungunya virus disease  Rickettsiosis  Malaria
 Chlamydia infection  Rift Valley fever  Marine biotoxins related diseases
 Cholera  Rotavirus infection  Measles
 Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP)  Rubella  Meningococcal disease
 Clostridioides difficile infections  S. pneumoniae  Middle East respiratory syndrome
 Congenital rubella  Salmonellosis coronavirus
 Congenital syphilis  Sandfly-borne diseases  Mosquito-borne diseases
 Coronavirus  SARS-CoV-2  Mpox (Monkeypox)
 COVID-19  Schmallenberg virus (SBV)  Mumps
 Cowpox  Seasonal influenza  Tick-borne diseases
 Coxsackievirus  Severe acute respiratory syndrome  Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE)
 Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) (SARS)  Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF)
 Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever  Sexually transmitted infections  Toscana virus infection
(CCHF)  Shigellosis  Toxoplasmosis, congenital
 Cryptosporidiosis  Sindbis fever  Trench fever
 Cutaneous warts  Smallpox  Trichinellosis
 Dengue  Streptococcus pneumoniae  Tuberculosis (TB)
 DHF  Swine-origin influenza  Tularaemia
 Diphtheria  Syphilis  Typhoid and paratyphoid fever
 Ebola virus disease  Syphilis, congenital  Vaccine-preventable diseases
 Echinococcosis  Tetanus  Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
 Enteric fever  Haemorrhagic fever (vCJD)
 Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli  Haemorrhagic fever with renal  Varicella
(EHEC) infection syndrome  Viral haemorrhagic fever
 Enterovirus  Hantavirus infection  Viral hepatitis
 Epidemic louse-borne typhus  Hepatitis  West Nile virus infection
 Escherichia coli infection  Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E  Whooping cough (pertussis)
 Febris recurrens
 Flu
 Food- and waterborne diseases
 German measles (rubella)
 Giardiasis
 HIV infectionHuman papillomavirus  Yellow fever
infection (HPV)  Yersiniosis
 Influenza in humans, avian origin  Zika virus disease
 Influenza in humans, pandemic  Zoonosis
 Influenza in humans, seasonal