Здоров'я і тіло

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