Health and illness vocabulary | Talking about health problems + example

Summary

In this video, Maddie and her friends discuss a variety of health-related vocabulary and idioms in English. They explain expressions like 'getting sick,' 'catching a cold,' and more informal phrases such as 'feeling under the weather' and 'being as sick as a dog.' The lesson covers how to describe different sickness symptoms, like having a runny nose or sore throat, and offers insights into phrases like 'calling in sick' or 'making an appointment.' Through the conversations of Maddie’s friends Joe, Jesse, and Jack, learners can improve their understanding of common health expressions and idioms.

Takeaways

• 😀 To talk about illness in English, you can use phrases like 'get sick' or 'get ill'. These can be used interchangeably, as well as 'become sick' or 'become ill'.
• 😀 'Aches and pains' refers to minor illnesses or discomforts, while 'from time to time' means occasionally or sometimes.
• 😀 'At death's door' is an idiom meaning to be very sick, to the point where it feels like you're dying.
• 😀 'Out of sorts' is another idiom used to describe feeling unwell or a bit sick without specifying the exact illness.
• 😀 A 'runny nose' occurs when mucus continuously flows from the nose, while a 'sore throat' involves pain in the throat that makes swallowing difficult.
• 😀 To 'catch a cold' means to become sick with a cold, with 'caught' being the past form of 'catch'.
• 😀 'As sick as a dog' is an informal way of saying someone is very sick, while 'under the weather' means feeling a bit unwell.
• 😀 The term 'exacerbate' means to make an illness or condition worse. It is a formal word, while 'get worse' is more informal.
• 😀 'Feel poorly' means to feel slightly unwell, and is often used informally to express being sick.
• 😀 To 'call in sick' means to contact your workplace to let them know you cannot attend work due to being unwell.
• 😀 'On the mend' refers to getting better or recovering from an illness, while 'gone over the worst' means passing the most difficult and painful stage of being sick.
• 😀 'To go down with' is another way to say you have contracted an illness, such as 'going down with the flu'.

Q & A

What does 'get sick' or 'become sick' mean in the context of the video?

'Get sick' or 'become sick' means to start feeling unwell or to develop an illness. It can be used interchangeably with 'get ill' or 'become ill'.

What is the meaning of the idiom 'at death's door'?

The idiom 'at death's door' means to be so sick that you feel you are close to dying. It's used to describe extreme illness.

What does the phrase 'feeling out of sorts' indicate?

'Feeling out of sorts' means feeling slightly unwell or not quite yourself, often indicating mild illness or discomfort.

What is the difference between 'runny nose' and 'sore throat'?

A 'runny nose' is when your nose constantly produces mucus, requiring frequent use of tissues, while a 'sore throat' is pain or discomfort in the throat, often making it difficult to swallow.

What does the phrase 'caught a cold' mean?

'Caught a cold' means to have become sick with a common viral infection that causes symptoms like a runny nose, sore throat, and cough.

What does it mean to be 'under the weather'?

'Under the weather' means feeling slightly sick or unwell, often used to describe a mild illness or feeling off.

What is the meaning of the phrase 'exacerbate'?

'Exacerbate' means to make a situation worse. In the context of health, it refers to making an illness or condition more severe.

What does it mean to 'call in sick'?

'Call in sick' means to inform your employer that you are too ill to come to work. This is typically done by phone or email.

What does 'gone over the worst' mean?

'Gone over the worst' means to have passed the most difficult or painful stage of an illness, implying that the person is starting to recover.

What does the phrase 'on the mend' refer to?

'On the mend' means to be recovering from an illness and getting better over time.