Health problems & injuries
Key words and phrases to describe symptoms, minor injuries and basic treatment at B1 level.
B1 Upper-Intermediate
Vocabulary
Health & medicine
A Common health problems
- a cold – a very common infection you can catch from other people; you usually have a runny nose, a sore throat, and you cough and sneeze a lot. Sarah caught a cold and has been sneezing all day.
- the flu – a stronger viral illness with a high temperature, cold-like symptoms, headaches and body aches; you often feel so bad you stay in bed. Tim had the flu last week and was in bed for days.
- an allergy – your body’s reaction to food, pollen, animals, etc.; it can cause sneezing or a rash (red, irritated skin). Emily got a rash after using a new laundry detergent.
- a headache – pain in your head. John had a headache and couldn’t concentrate on his work.
- a stomachache – pain in your stomach, sometimes because of a stomach bug (a stomach virus) or food poisoning (from bad food). Ben caught a stomach bug on holiday and stayed in his hotel room all day.
- nausea – the feeling that you want to vomit / be sick. The roller coaster ride made Mark feel intense nausea.
- diarrhea – an illness when you need to go to the toilet very often and your stool is very liquid. After drinking contaminated water, Jane suffered from severe diarrhea.
- a sore throat – pain in your throat, often with a cold or the flu; speaking and swallowing can hurt. Kevin woke up with a sore throat and could barely speak.
- a cough – when your body forces air out of your lungs with a noise to clear your throat; often a symptom of a cold or flu. Amanda has had a persistent cough for the past few days.
B Injuries & skin problems
- a sprained ankle – an ankle you twist badly so it is painful and swollen. Mike sprained his ankle playing football and had to be carried off the field.
- backache – pain in your back, often from lifting, an injury or sitting badly. Sitting for long hours at his desk gave Robert a backache.
- a wound – a serious injury to the skin, for example from a knife or gun; it usually bleeds and needs time to heal. The knife left a deep wound on his arm that needed stitches.
- a bruise – a blue or purple mark on the skin after you hit something. Nancy bumped into the coffee table and got a bruise on her leg.
- a blister – a small bubble on the skin full of liquid, often from new or tight shoes. Wearing new shoes on a long hike gave Olivia a painful blister.
- sunburn – red, hot, painful skin after too much sun. Peter forgot to use sunscreen and ended up with a bad sunburn.
C Feeling ill & getting better
- throw up / be sick (UK) – to vomit; to bring food back up from your stomach. John threw up on the carpet.
- pass out / faint – to lose consciousness for a short time. Sam passed out on the bus because of the heat.
- come round – to become conscious again after you faint. Emily finally came round when they gave her some water.
- suffer from – to have a health problem or condition for some time. Lucy is suffering from depression.
- get better – to recover from an illness; to feel healthier again. Tim was ill last week, but he’s getting better now.
- get sick / fall ill – to become ill. He got sick with the flu last week.
- get vaccinated / have a vaccination – to receive an injection that protects you from a disease. I get vaccinated against the flu every winter.
D Treatment & medical care
- treat (a condition) – to try to cure an illness or injury with medicine or therapy. He is treating his condition with painkillers.
- endure pain/discomfort – to experience pain and continue, even though it is difficult. Poor James is enduring a lot of discomfort with his back injury.
- undergo surgery – to have an operation in hospital. Doris underwent surgery to treat her knee injury.
- have a check-up – to see a doctor for a general health examination. Luke has a check-up with his doctor every two years.
- give a prescription / prescribe medicine – when a doctor tells you what medicine to take and writes it on a special piece of paper or in the system. The doctor diagnosed a throat infection and prescribed antibiotics.
E Common medicines
These are typical medicines you might hear about at B1 level. Always follow your doctor’s advice when taking them.
- painkillers – medicines like aspirin, ibuprofen or paracetamol that reduce pain. Daniel took some painkillers to ease his headache.
- antibiotics – medicines that treat bacterial infections. The doctor prescribed antibiotics for my throat infection.
- cough syrup – a sweet liquid medicine for a cough or sore throat. Take this cough syrup twice a day and your cough should improve.
- laxatives – medicines that help with constipation. Tom took a laxative to help his constipation.
- antidepressants – medicines used to treat depression and some anxiety disorders. Ruth takes antidepressants to manage her anxiety.
- sleeping pills – medicines that help people with serious problems sleeping (insomnia). After a week without sleep, I decided to take sleeping pills.
Note: At B1 level, learners should be able to describe basic symptoms, say what is wrong, and talk in simple terms about treatment and recovery.
Exercises:
Health problems & injuries
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
He’s sneezing, has a blocked nose and a light fever. It’s probably just a
, nothing serious.
Correct:
a cold = a common, mild illness with a runny or blocked nose and sometimes a small fever.
2
High temperature, body aches, no energy, and he stays in bed for days — he has the
.
Correct:
the flu = a stronger illness than a cold, with high fever and body pain.
3
When he eats nuts, his lips swell and he can’t breathe well. He has an
to nuts.
Correct:
an allergy = a medical problem when your body reacts badly to something.
4
After using a new cream, she got a red, itchy
on her arms.
Correct:
a rash = red spots on the skin, often itchy.
5
My head really hurts. I’ve had a terrible
all morning.
Correct:
a headache = pain in your head.
6
I ate too quickly and now I have a bad
.
Correct:
a stomachache = pain in your stomach area.
7
Half the office is at home with vomiting and diarrhea – there’s a
going around.
Correct:
a stomach bug = a short, usually viral illness that affects your stomach and intestines.
8
We ate old seafood and spent the whole night in the bathroom – the doctor said it was
.
Correct:
food poisoning = an illness from eating or drinking something bad.
9
She felt strong
on the bus and thought she might throw up.
Correct:
nausea = the feeling that you are going to vomit.
10
He keeps going to the toilet with very watery stool; he has
.
Correct:
diarrhea = a condition when you pass very loose, watery stool many times a day.
11
It hurts when I swallow or speak – I have a terrible
.
Correct:
a sore throat = pain or discomfort in your throat.
12
He keeps making a loud “k-k-k” sound because he has a bad
at night.
Correct:
a cough = when you force air out of your lungs with a sudden sound.
13
She twisted her foot playing football. It’s swollen but not broken – she has a
.
Correct:
a sprained ankle = an injured ankle from twisting it.
14
After lifting heavy boxes all day, he had a terrible
in his lower back.
Correct:
a backache = pain in your back.
15
The knife cut his hand deeply, and the doctor cleaned the
and put in stitches.
Correct:
a wound = a serious cut or injury in the skin, often from something sharp.
16
She hit her leg on the table and later a big blue
appeared.
Correct:
a bruise = a blue or purple mark on the skin after you hit something.
17
These new shoes are rubbing my heel – I’ve got a painful
on my foot now.
Correct:
a blister = a small bubble of skin filled with liquid, often from friction.
18
He lay on the beach with no sunscreen, and now his skin is red and painful – he has bad
.
Correct:
sunburn = red, painful skin from too much sun.
19
He ate too much junk food and felt so sick he had to
in the bathroom.
Correct:
throw up = vomit; to bring food back out of your mouth.
20
I can’t come to work today – I
and need to rest at home.
Correct:
be sick = not feel healthy; to be ill.
21
The doctor asked, “Did you
after eating that seafood?”
Correct:
vomit = the formal verb meaning “throw up”.
22
It was so hot on the train that he suddenly
and fell to the floor.
Correct:
pass out = to lose consciousness for a short time.
23
She sometimes feels weak and may
if she stands up too quickly.
Correct:
to faint = to suddenly lose consciousness for a short time.
24
He passed out in the heat, but he started to
a few minutes later and opened his eyes.
Correct:
come round = to become conscious again after fainting.
25
She has had headaches for many years. She
migraines and needs regular treatment.
Correct:
to suffer from = to have a long-term illness or problem.
26
He was very ill last week, but he’s starting to
now and can go back to work soon.
Correct:
get better = to recover; to become healthy again.
27
I always
in winter when the weather gets cold and wet.
Correct:
get sick = to become ill.
28
In formal English, we often say someone can
during a long, stressful period at work.
Correct:
fall ill = a more formal way to say “become sick”.
29
Many people
against the flu every autumn to protect themselves.
Correct:
get vaccinated = receive an injection to protect you from a disease.
30
Children usually
before they start school, so they are protected from common diseases.
Correct:
to have a vaccination = to receive a vaccine injection.
Health problems & injuries
Match the sentences with the health words
⏱ 0:00
• Moves: 0
• Matched: 0/0
• Pack: 1/3