UNIT 3. Symptoms

English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
A) INTRODUCTION: BASIC VOCABULARY
1. Look at these pictures (a-e) and match them with the actions on the table
below (1-5):
A. B. C. D. E.
esta tosiendo
1. She’s coughing B
2. She’s sneezing estornudar A
tomar la temperatura 3. She’s got a temperature. E
dolor de garganta 4. She’s got a sore throat C
secrecion nasal
5. She’s got a runny nose. D
2. Read the following symptoms (a-e) and complete the chart below
matching them with the correct diagnosis and cause of illness.
a) I keep going to the toilet.

b) Sneezing, a sore throat, a cough
c) Sneezing, a sore throat, a cough + high temperature (e.g. 40º)
d) Headache, feel sick
e) I want to vomit.
puke
thow up
What’s the matter? How do you know?
Cause of illness
(Diagnosis) (the symptoms)
tengo un resfriado I’ve got a cold. B A virus un virus
tengo una gripe I’ve got the flu. C A virus
tengo diarrea I’ve got diarrhoea. A Often food, or a virus
me siento enfermo I feel sick. D Many, e.g. food, illness
tengo resaca I’ve got a hangover. E Too much alcohol
3. Look at the pictures (1-5) and write the correct sign (a-e) under each.
1. a rash 2. a bruise 3. a lump 4. spots 5. A black eye

un ojo morado moraton bulto grano manchas
a) a black eye b) a bruise c) a lump d) a rash e) spots
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• Redman, S. 2008. English Vocabulary in Use Pre-Intermediate& Intermediate; Cambridge University Press
• Grice, T. 2006. Nursing; Oxford University Press
• Wright, R. and M. Spada Symonds. 2011. English for Nursing 2. Harlow: Pearson.
English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
4. LISTENING (Track 15). Listen to these patients (a-c) describe their
symptoms and decide the order in which they speak (1-3).
1 ______
C
Hurts
A Tired
2 ______ Spots
be constipated
Tiredness
3 ______
B Achy dizzy
sick
pain
Lump
Paun
Swollen
Numb
Bruising
B) SYMPTOMS: VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR & LISTENING
1. Read the dialogues and choose the right words. Listen, and check your
answers.
1
N How does it feel? A little deformity/deformed, isn’t it?
P Yes, there is a huge lump/lumpy just above the ankle. And there’s quite a lot of
bruising/bruised. And just here, it’s very swelling/swollen.
N Is it pain/painful when you move it?
P Yes, very.
N Can you move your toes?
P It’s difficulty/difficult, they are numbness/numb – I can’t feel them at all.
2
N How are your feeling?
P I feel so hot. What does the thermometer say?
N Yes, you have fever/feverish. Your temperature is a little over 38. Have you got a
sore throat?
P Yes, it hurts when I talk.
N I can see you have spots. Any redness/red?
P Yes, my chest and back are all redness/red.
N And do you feel tiredness/tired/tiring?
P Yes, constant tiredness/tired/tiring. And my legs feel ache/achy, too.
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
3
N How’s it going?
P I’ll be glad when this is over. Doing anything is really tiredness/tired/tiring.
N Oh dear. Do you feel dizziness/dizzy at all?
P Yes, some days I feel dizziness/dizzy and sometimes sickness/sick.
N When do you feel sickness/sick, mostly?
P In the mornings. And I’m very constipation/constipated – haven’t been to the
toilet for three days. Sorry to moan.
N That’s all right. We all need a good moan sometimes. What about pain/painful?
P No. No pain/painful.
2. Complete the table below with the words in bold from exercise 5 as in
IW the example. Mark any clues in the words that would help you identify if
they are nouns or adjectives.
NOUN ADJECTIVE(S) NOUN ADJECTIVE(S)
deformity deformed tiredness tired
lump lumpy ache achy
bruising bruised dizziness dizzy
sneezy sickness sick

sneezing
tiredness tiring constipation constpated
pain painful
swelling swollen
difficulty difficult
numbness numb
fever feverish
redness red
Which word endings could be both for nouns and for adjectives?
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
3. Complete the table.
NOUN ADJECTIVE NOUN ADJECTIVE

deformity deformed redness red IW
lump lumpy tiredness tired/tiring
bruise bruised ache achy
nausea nauseous dizziness dizzy
spot spotty itch itchy
swelling swollen drowsiness drowsi
pain painfull sickness sick
numbness numb constipation constipated

fever feverish obese
4. Write the correct form of the word in brackets to complete the

sentences. The first one is done for you.
Ex.: The patience felt __drowsy___ (drowsiness) when the nurse was taking some
blood samples.
painfull
2.1 Is your back still ________________ (pain)?.
2.2 My pulse is up to 150 per minute and I feel _______________

dizzy (dizzy).
2.3 I’ve got an _______________

itchy ( itch) rash on the back of my hand.
2.4 My leg is cut and _________________

bruised (bruise) from the accident.
2.5 He feels ______________

nauseous (nausea) and needs to sit down.
2.6 She has a small ______________(lump)

lump on her breast.
2.7 Scoliosis is the most common _____________ (deform) of the spine.
2.8 Soon after injury, an ice bag may be applied to relieve _____________ (pain)
and ______________ (swell).
2.9 In the early days of pregnancy, ______________

tiredness (tired) is a common symptom.
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
4.
abdominal pecho contusion lesion respiratori esguince
injury
contusion sprain
chest
abdominal
respiratory
a. she looks pale, abdominal pain, fever, vonting
b. Maybe he is experiencing concusion and contusions, injury, bleeding
C. Maybe she is experiencing respiratory problems, chest pain
d. elbow pain, contusiom
e. abdominal pain, broken finger
5.
f. chest pain, respiratory problems, he,s choking
5 2 4 3 6
1
6.
A. she was coughing

B. he fell off the bike cos a child was rusing7.
C. dificulty brethind, her chest felt tight ojo morado hemorragia muñeca rota colico
asma
C B B AND E D AND B A
D F E D/A/F
contusion problemas de corazon infeccion nausia
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
8.
9.
IW
IW
10.
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
C) SPEAKING: ASSESSING PRIORITY
TRIAGE ASSESSMENT
1. Read the triage categories and make sure you understand each level.
1.a) Read the patient cases below and make sure you understand them.
1.b) In groups, use the triage categories to classify these patients, who are all in
A&E at the same time. Give your reasons why and justify your answers. Can you
give numbers for priority to each patient? Can you suggest a diagnosis?
TRIAGE CATEGORIES
CRITICAL (cannot wait)
-Patient is dying or in a life-threatening condition
-A very grave situation that requires top priority
URGENT (see within 30 minutes)
-Acute disorder, but patient is in a stable condition
-Requires attention son or risks seriously-impaired body functions and parts
SEMI-URGENT (see within one hour)
-Suffering from minor illnesses, but life is not immediately threatened
-Will need to re-triage later in case of worsening
NON-URGENT (discharge)
-Satisfactory condition which does not present cause for concern
-Inappropriate attendance in emergency department
PATIENT CASES TRIAGE

CATEGORY.
NUMBER
A) Male, found lying face-up on the pavement. Not able to speak. No
bleeding. Vomited in ambulance several times. Deeply unconscious
B) Woman (30s), strong headache after partying the previous day
C) Boy (15), arm very twisted and out of shape. No pain, but numbness
D) Woman (20s), has taken 10 paracetamol. Very depressed and tearful.
E) Man (20s), black eye after a fight, alcohol intoxication
F) Child requiring inoculation
G) Female (50s), overweight, drove to hospital, severe pains in chest that

come and go, breathlessness, back pain
H) Elderly woman (90s), chief complaint: constipation (abdominal pains

for several hours)
(Adapted from GRICE, Tony and GREENAN, James. Nursing 2. Student’s Book, Oxford. Oxford University Press,
2008)
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
D) ASKING ABOUT SYMPTOMS: QUESTION FORMING
1. Look at these two patients waiting for an assessment at A&E. Then, in pairs:
a) What do you think happened to them? Give a full explanation of the

accident using PAST SIMPLE and PAST CONTINUOUS: “He was probably
playing … when he fell…”
b) What do you think are their symptoms? Try to use a variety of word
types (nouns, adjectives, verbs) to describe them.
2. a) Now, try to complete the dialogues between the A&E nurse and each
patient using your own words:
what happen / do you feel
i bent my ankle
has it happened
you move your foot

very paingul
of one to ten how much it hurts you
it hurts me a ten
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
b) Listen again, and compare your options with what the nurse and the
patients say. DON’T CHANGE YOUR ANSWERS, write what you hear next to
them (or here below) and then compare. Did you ask the same questions?
3. Using the prompts in brackets ( ), write questions to complete the following

IW dialogue between nurse (N) and patient (P) during a symptoms assessment.
Pay attention to the correct choice of TENSE, and ADD ANY NECESSARY WORDS
to form correct questions.
N: Hello, Ms. Rohrwacher, I’m Nurse Gladney and I’ll be taking care of you
today. (How / feel / this evening) (1)_____________________________________________?
P: Good evening, Nurse. I’m not too bad now, it was worse a few hours ago.
N: (The auxiliary nurse / give / you / any medication)
(2)__________________________________________________________________________________?
P: Yes, and it helped quite a lot.
N: That’s good to hear. Now, tell me Ms. Rohrwacher, (when / symptoms /
begin) (3)________________________________________________?
P: At around noon, I think.
N: And, (what / you/ do / when / symptoms / begin)
(4)__________________________________________________________________________________?
P: I was cooking lunch with my wife.
N: Alright. Now, (you / describe / the symptoms / to me)
(5)__________________________________________________________________________________?
P: First I felt short of breath and a bit dizzy, but it only lasted for a few
seconds. Then I felt a kind of crushing pain in my chest and some time later
the shortness of breath and dizziness came back.
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
N: That is all consistent with your angina, Ms. Rohrwacher. (you / be / still /
in pain / at all) (6)______________________________________________________________?
P: I still feel some pressure in my upper back, but it’s much milder. I think it
may just be that I’m still a bit scared after the episode.
N: That’s normal, don’t worry. I’ll just do a couple of physical checks now,
(that / be / fine / with you) (7)________________________________________________?
P: Of course, Nurse, anything you need.
N: Thank you. (It / hurt / when / I / press / your chest / just / here)
(8)__________________________________________________________________________________?
P: A little bit.
N: Okay. I think the worst is over, Ms. Rohrwacher, but (we / run / some extra
tests) (9)______________________________________________, just to be on the safe side?
P: Absolutely, that would calm me down a lot, thank you.
N: Perfect. Just wait here while I get the equipment, I’ll be back in a second.
E) SYMPTOMS: WRITING (I). DIALOGUE & REPORT
1. You are a nurse working at A&E. Yesterday Paul went to A&E after having
an accident. Write a dialogue between Paul and the nurse. PAY ATTENTION TO
THE THREE PARTS: 1) patient details, 2) reason for admission and 3)
explanations of what happened. Practice different structures seen in class,
and other useful language to communicate with patients.
DIALOGUE
(Paul, 33, cook, 8 cigarettes a day, 3 units alcohol a week, family
history: heart disease, allergies: nuts)
ACCIDENT
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
PART 1: Patient’s details
Nurse:
Paul:
PART 2: Patient’s medical history

Nurse:
Paul:
PART 3: Reason for admission, explaining what happened
Nurse: Ok, then, Paul. I see here that the reason for admission is that? … Can you
tell me what happened?
Paul:
Nurse: ….?
Paul:…?
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
2. You are a nurse working at A&E. Yesterday Paul went to A&E after having
an accident. Write a PATIENT REPORT FORM to give to the charge nurse
including:
1) patient details: (Paul, 33, cook, 8 cigarettes a day, 3 units of alcohol a week, family
history: heart disease, allergies: nuts)
2) reason for admission
3) explain the accident (past simple, continuous, present perfect) and symptoms.
Remember that a REPORT FORM is written in full, well-connected sentences.

Pay attention to the use of TENSES in the different parts of the report.
PATIENT REPORT FORM

Mr. Paul Giamatti is…
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
F) SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT: ASTHMA. GIVING INSTRUCTIONS.
IW
IW
the
IW
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
IW
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English for Nursing
UNIT 3. Symptoms
7. Write an INFORMATION LEAFLET with instructions for adult patients with
asthma. Your leaflet should include the following sections: 1) Symptoms of an
asthma attack; 2) Things to do in an asthma attack (use the imperative form): 3)
How to use the inhaler correctly (use the imperative form)
ASTHMA ATTACK
Do you think you are having an asthma attack?
❖ Are you …………….?
❖ Do you ……………..?
❖ Are you experiencing…………….?
❖ Do you find it difficult to …………….?
If you are experiencing these symptoms, you may be having an asthma attack. Here
are some things you can do:
After 6 mins.
Every 6 mins
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Using an inhaler may be tricky under stressful circumstances. Follow these easy
steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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UNIT 3. Symptoms

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English for Nursing

a) I keep going to the toilet.

1. a rash 2. a bruise 3. a lump 4. spots 5. A black eye

B) SYMPTOMS: VOCABULARY, GRAMMAR & LISTENING

NOUN ADJECTIVE(S) NOUN ADJECTIVE(S)

deformity deformed tiredness tired

lump lumpy ache achy

bruising bruised dizziness dizzy

sneezy sickness sick

tiredness tiring constipation constpated

NOUN ADJECTIVE NOUN ADJECTIVE

swelling swollen drowsiness drowsi

pain painfull sickness sick

numbness numb constipation constipated

4. Write the correct form of the word in brackets to complete the

2.2 My pulse is up to 150 per minute and I feel _______________

2.3 I’ve got an _______________

2.4 My leg is cut and _________________

2.5 He feels ______________

2.6 She has a small ______________(lump)

2.7 Scoliosis is the most common _____________ (deform) of the spine.

2.9 In the early days of pregnancy, ______________

A. she was coughing

PATIENT CASES TRIAGE

B) Woman (30s), strong headache after partying the previous day

D) Woman (20s), has taken 10 paracetamol. Very depressed and tearful.

E) Man (20s), black eye after a fight, alcohol intoxication

F) Child requiring inoculation

G) Female (50s), overweight, drove to hospital, severe pains in chest that

H) Elderly woman (90s), chief complaint: constipation (abdominal pains

a) What do you think happened to them? Give a full explanation of the

what happen / do you feel

you move your foot

of one to ten how much it hurts you

3. Using the prompts in brackets ( ), write questions to complete the following

E) SYMPTOMS: WRITING (I). DIALOGUE & REPORT

PART 2: Patient’s medical history

PART 3: Reason for admission, explaining what happened

Remember that a REPORT FORM is written in full, well-connected sentences.

PATIENT REPORT FORM

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