Going to the doctor: describing past illnesses
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Think about these questions before reading. Share your ideas with a partner.
- When was the last time you felt sick? What was the problem?
- Who helps you when you are sick? What do they do?
- What is a good thing to do when you have a cold?
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Feeling Under the Weather
Listen to the dialogue. Notice how the vocabulary and grammar from the lesson are used.
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Answer these questions about the article in your own words.
01Why was Marco not at work yesterday?
Sample answerHe was off sick because he caught a cold.
02What were Marco's symptoms?
Sample answerHe had a sore throat and felt under the weather.
03Did Marco go to the doctor? Why or why not?
Sample answerNo, he didn't. He decided to get some rest at home instead.
04How is Marco feeling now?
Sample answerHe is feeling much better.
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Key vocabulary
Vocabulary
Learn these useful phrases to talk about health and doctor's visits.
Examples
catch a cold — to get a common illness that makes you cough, sneeze, and have a runny nose.
We often use this in the past tense. For example: 'I think I caught a cold yesterday.'
make an appointment — to arrange a time to see a doctor or another professional.
This is a very common phrase. You can say: 'I need to call the clinic to make an appointment.'
sore throat — when your throat feels painful, especially when you swallow.
We use the verb 'have' with this phrase. For example: 'I can't talk much, I have a sore throat.'
feel under the weather — to feel a little sick or not completely well.
This is a polite and gentle way to say you don't feel good. For example: 'I'm staying home today because I feel a bit under the weather.'
get some rest — to relax and sleep so your body can get better.
This is common advice from a doctor or a friend. For example: 'The doctor told me to drink water and get some rest.'
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Health vocabulary
Learn some new words to talk about being sick.
Match the word with its meaning.
Drag or click to match
Definitions
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Grammar: Simple past tense
Grammar
We use the simple past tense to talk about actions and situations that finished in the past. You can use it to tell a doctor about your past symptoms or when you got sick. For regular verbs, we add '-ed', but many common verbs are irregular.
Examples
I called the clinic yesterday because I had a high temperature.
‘Called’ is a regular verb. We add '-ed' to make the past form.
He felt very tired and went to bed early.
‘Felt’ and ‘went’ are irregular verbs. Their past forms are special and don't end in '-ed'.
Did you take any medicine for your cough?
For questions, we use 'did' + the base form of the verb (take), not the past form (took).
Key points
- Add '-ed' to regular verbs for the past (e.g., visit -> visited).
- Learn the special forms for irregular verbs (e.g., feel -> felt, have -> had).
- For questions and negatives, use 'did' or 'didn't' + the base verb (e.g., 'I didn't go').
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Find the mistake
Each sentence contains one error. Find and correct it.
01Yesterday, I feel very sick so I went to the doctor.
Corrected version
Yesterday, I feel felt very sick so I went to the doctor.
02I need to do an appointment with Dr. Smith for next week.
Corrected version
I need to do make an appointment with Dr. Smith for next week.
03The doctor listen to my chest and gave me some medicine.
Corrected version
The doctor listen listened to my chest and gave me some medicine.
04She had a bad cough and a sore throaty.
Corrected version
She had a bad cough and a sore throaty. throat.
05We was feeling under the weather last weekend.
Corrected version
We was were feeling under the weather last weekend.
06My apointment with the dentist is at 3 PM tomorrow.
Corrected version
My apointment appointment with the dentist is at 3 PM tomorrow.
07He didn't went to school because he had a headache.
Corrected version
He didn't went go to school because he had a headache.
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Useful phrases: Explaining why you were sick
Vocabulary
When you return to work or school after being ill, your colleagues or classmates might ask how you are. Here are some simple phrases to explain your absence and say you are feeling better.
Examples
"I was off sick yesterday." — a simple way to say you were not at work or school because of illness.
Register: Neutral. Use this as the first thing you say to explain your absence to a colleague or classmate.
"I had a terrible stomach ache." — to give a specific reason for your illness.
Register: Neutral/Informal. You can replace 'stomach ache' with other symptoms, like 'headache' or 'fever'.
"I'm feeling much better now, thanks." — a positive reply when someone asks how you are feeling.
Register: Neutral/Informal. This is a common and polite response to 'How are you?' or 'Are you feeling better?'.
"I just needed a day to recover." — to explain that the illness was not very serious and you are okay now.
Register: Neutral/Informal. This phrase shows that you are ready to return to your normal activities.
"Thanks for asking." — a polite way to respond after someone asks about your health.
Register: Neutral/Informal. Use this after you have answered their question to show you appreciate their concern.
"It's good to be back." — a friendly phrase to end the conversation and show you are happy to return.
Register: Neutral/Informal. Use this when you are ready to change the topic back to work or school.
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My sick day
Read the story about what happened to Sarah last week.
Fill in each blank with the correct word from the word bank.
Word bank
Last Tuesday, I started to under the weather. I had a bad cough and a throat, so I couldn't go to work. I called the clinic to an appointment with my doctor. The doctor listened to my chest and said I a cold. He told me to go home and some rest for a few days. I feel much better now.
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Discuss these questions with a partner. Try to use vocabulary from the lesson.
- In your country, do people usually make an appointment to see a doctor, or can they go to a clinic without one? What do you think is better?
- Is it okay to go to work or school when you feel a little under the weather, or should you always get some rest at home? Why?
- Imagine your friend has a bad sore throat but wants to go to a party. What advice would you give them?