Health and the body
Words for parts of the body, common illnesses and a visit to the doctor, with the verbs English uses to talk about pain.
When you need it
You need these words when you feel unwell and have to explain what is wrong: at the doctor's, at a pharmacy, or in a message to a teacher or an employer. They also come up in ordinary conversation, because people ask How are you feeling? and expect a short, honest answer. Many of the words are short and old, with irregular plurals and silent letters, so learn the spelling and the pronunciation together.
Core words
The head and the body. Note the two irregular plurals: one tooth, two teeth; one foot, two feet.
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| head | /hed/ | Keep your head warm. |
| face | Wash your face. | |
| eye | /aɪ/ | I have something in my eye. |
| ear | /ɪə/ | My left ear hurts. |
| tooth | plural teeth /tiːθ/ | Brush your teeth twice a day. |
| neck | I can't turn my neck. | |
| shoulder | /ˈʃəʊldə/ | He hurt his shoulder playing tennis. |
| back | I sit all day and my back aches. | |
| stomach | /ˈstʌmək/, ch sounds like /k/ | I have a pain in my stomach. |
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| arm | from the shoulder to the wrist | Anna broke her arm last year. |
| hand | Wash your hands before lunch. | |
| finger | on the foot the word is toe | I cut my finger. |
| leg | My legs are tired. | |
| knee | /niː/, the k is silent | Tom has a bad knee. |
| foot | plural feet | My feet hurt in these shoes. |
Illness and pain. Short illnesses such as a cold and a cough are countable and take a.
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ill | British, usually after a verb | I feel ill. |
| sick | American for ill; British be sick = vomit | Tom is sick today. |
| cold | an infection: a cold | I've got a cold. |
| flu | /fluː/, often the flu | Half the class has flu. |
| cough | /kɒf/ | She has a bad cough. |
| temperature | have a temperature = have a fever | He has a high temperature. |
| headache | /ˈhedeɪk/; also toothache, stomach ache, backache | I've got a terrible headache. |
| pain | a sharp or general pain | I have a pain in my chest. |
| hurt | verb, hurt – hurt – hurt | My back hurts. |
| ache | /eɪk/, a dull pain that lasts | My legs ache after the run. |
At the doctor's and the pharmacy.
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| doctor | in Britain your family doctor is a GP | You should see a doctor. |
| appointment | make or book an appointment | I have an appointment at ten. |
| pharmacy | British also the chemist's, American drugstore | Is there a pharmacy near here? |
| chemist | British: the person or the shop | Ask at the chemist's. |
| medicine | uncountable when it means drugs you take | Take this medicine after meals. |
| tablet | a small pill | Take two tablets a day. |
| prescription | a note from the doctor for the pharmacy | You need a prescription for this. |
| hospital | British in hospital, American in the hospital | Tom was in hospital for a week. |
The British in hospital has no article for the same reason as at school: you are there for its purpose, as a patient.
Useful phrases
- I don't feel well. The most general way to say something is wrong: I don't feel well today, so I'm staying at home.
- I've got a sore throat. British English uses have got for illnesses, American English uses have: I have a sore throat.
- My ... hurts. My ear hurts. It hurts when I swallow.
- I've hurt my ... For injuries: I've hurt my ankle. I've broken my arm. I've cut my finger.
- I'd like to make an appointment. What you say when you phone the doctor's surgery.
- three times a day Instructions for medicine: Take one tablet three times a day after meals.
- off sick British, for someone who is absent from work because of illness: Anna is off sick this week.
- I'm feeling better, thanks. The normal answer when you are recovering.
- Get well soon. What you say or write to someone who is ill.
Common mistakes
- ✗ I have a pain in the head. / I have pain of teeth.
✓ I have a headache. / I have toothache.
For the head, teeth, stomach, ears and back English has ready-made nouns with -ache; a pain in is for other places, such as a pain in my chest. - ✗ I feel myself bad.
✓ I don't feel well. / I feel ill.
Ukrainian почуваюся погано and Russian чувствую себя плохо use a reflexive, but English feel never takes myself here, and I feel bad usually means that you feel guilty. - ✗ I have cold. / I am cold. (meaning: I am ill)
✓ I have a cold. / I've got a cold.
A cold is a countable illness and needs a; I am cold means мені холодно / мне холодно, which is about the temperature, not about being ill. - ✗ Tom broke the leg. / Anna washed the hair.
✓ Tom broke his leg. / Anna washed her hair.
Ukrainian and Russian say зламав ногу / сломал ногу with no possessive, but English normally puts my, his, her before a part of the body. - ✗ The doctor gave me a medicine for my cough.
✓ The doctor gave me some medicine for my cough.
In this meaning medicine is uncountable, like water; to count it, say a tablet, a bottle of medicine or a spoonful.
Try it
- My head hurts. I've got a ___.
- Anna fell and broke ___ arm.
- I don't feel ___. I think I'm getting a cold.
- One foot, two ___.
- Tom can't come in today. He's off ___.
- I'd like to ___ an appointment with the doctor.
Related lessons
Words in this lesson