Lessonpills

1

Think about these questions before listening. Share your ideas with a partner.

Think about a time you had a small accident, like falling down or cutting your finger. What happened?
Imagine a friend feels very sick or dizzy. What is the first thing you should do to help?
When you call for an ambulance, what information is important to tell the operator?

2

A scary fall

Listen to the dialogue. Notice how the vocabulary and grammar from the lesson are used.

3

Listen to the audio recording and answer the questions.

01What happened to the speaker's friend at the beginning?

Sample answerHe fell down and hit his head hard.

02How did the friend feel after he fell?

Sample answerHe felt dizzy and he could not stand up.

03What did the speaker do when his friend couldn't stand up?

Sample answerHe called for help right away.

04How did the friend get to the hospital?

Sample answerAn ambulance came and took him to the hospital.

4

Vocabulary

These expressions will help you communicate more naturally about this topic.

Examples

have an accident — to be in a situation where you get hurt or something is damaged, for example, with a car or at home

This is a general phrase. You can say what kind of accident: 'He had a car accident' or 'She had an accident at work.'

get hurt — to injure your body

Use this to talk about the result of an accident. For example: 'He fell off his bike, but luckily he didn't get hurt.'

call an ambulance — to phone for a special vehicle to take someone to the hospital quickly

This is a very important phrase in an emergency. In many countries, you call 999, 112, or 911 for an ambulance.

in pain — feeling physical suffering from an injury or illness

We often use this with the verb 'to be'. For example: 'My leg is in a lot of pain' or 'After the fall, he was in pain.'

first aid — simple medical help you give to someone before a doctor arrives

A person can 'give first aid'. A box with bandages and medicine for emergencies is called a 'first aid kit'.

5

Vocabulary for injuries

Learn some new words to talk about accidents and injuries.

Match each word on the left with the correct definition on the right.

Drag or click to match

Definitions

6

Grammar: simple past tense

Grammar

We use the simple past tense to talk about actions that started and finished at a specific time in the past. When you describe an accident, you need to explain what happened, so this tense is very important.

Examples

He felt dizzy and then he fell down.

We use irregular verbs for many common actions. The past tense of 'feel' is 'felt' and 'fall' is 'fell'.

I called for an ambulance right away.

For regular verbs like 'call', we add '-ed' to make the past tense form.

Did you hit your head?

To ask a question in the simple past, we use 'did' + subject + the base form of the verb (hit).

Key points

For regular verbs, add '-ed' to talk about the past (e.g., help -> helped).
Many important verbs are irregular and have a special past form (e.g., go -> went, see -> saw).
For negatives and questions, always use 'didn't' or 'did' with the base form of the verb (e.g., He didn't stand up).

7

Complete the sentences with words from the box. One word is extra.

Word bank

01The man couldn't breathe, so I called an immediately.

02She fell down the stairs, but luckily she didn't get .

03I learned how to do basic in a course last year.

04He was in a lot of after he broke his leg.

05There was a bad on the main road this morning.

8

Useful phrases: calling for emergency help

Vocabulary

When you call for an ambulance or other emergency help, you need to be clear and calm. Here are some key phrases to use on the phone.

Examples

I need an ambulance, please. — This is a direct and clear way to start the call.

Register: neutral. Use this as the very first thing you say after the operator answers the phone.

We're at [your address]. — This tells the operator exactly where to send help.

Register: neutral. Be ready to give the full address clearly. For example: 'We're at 123 Park Street, in apartment 4B.'

Someone is hurt. — This is a simple way to explain the main problem.

Register: neutral. You can also be more specific if you know what happened, for example: 'There was a car accident' or 'Someone fell down.'

He's not breathing. — This gives very important information about the person's condition.

Register: neutral. Only say what you can see. Other simple phrases are 'She is awake' or 'He can't stand up.'

I don't know. — It's okay if you don't have all the answers.

Register: neutral. Use this if the operator asks a question you can't answer. It is better to say 'I don't know' than to guess.

What should I do? — This asks for instructions on how to help before the ambulance arrives.

Register: neutral. Use this after you have given the main information. It shows you are ready to follow instructions and help the person.

9

Choose the best answer based on what you heard in the audio recording.

01How did the friend hit his head?

02How is the friend feeling at the end of the story?

03How quickly did the ambulance arrive?

04Which piece of information is NOT in the audio recording?

10

An accident at the park

Read the passage below, then answer the comprehension questions.

Last Saturday, I was at the park. It was a beautiful, sunny day. I saw a young boy riding his bicycle too fast. Suddenly, he had an accident. He fell down and hurt his arm badly. He was in a lot of pain and started to cry. His father ran to help him. The father knew some first aid and tried to make him comfortable. The boy couldn't move his arm, so his father decided to call an ambulance. The paramedics arrived in just a few minutes and took the boy to the hospital. It was scary, but his father stayed calm.

01Where was the boy when he had the accident?

Sample answerHe was at the park.

02What did the father do before he called for help?

Sample answerHe used some first aid and tried to make the boy comfortable.

03Why did the father decide to call an ambulance?

Sample answerBecause the boy couldn't move his arm and was in a lot of pain.

11

Discuss these questions with a partner. Try to use vocabulary from the lesson.

In your country, what do people usually do when someone has an accident in a public place?
Do you think it's more important to learn first aid in school or at work? Why?
Imagine a person falls down on the street. They say, 'I'm okay,' but they look dizzy. What is the best thing to do?