Describing health problems

Teachers notes and key

Level: lower-intermediate and above.
Aims:

to discover the meaning of various health problems

to learn different ways of describing them.

Timing: between 30 minutes and an hour, depending on the number and level
of the students. Task 3 can be done for homework.
Preparation
Print out a copy of the worksheet and word list for each student.
Print out a copy of the cards for each group of three to four students and cut
them up.
Task 2
Split the students into groups of three or four, named, say, A, B, C and D and
give each group a different selection of cards.
The students then regroup, so that each new group contains someone from A,
someone from B, someone from C and someone from D.
They should share their answers, giving definitions where necessary.
Note that some of the expressions are countable, some are uncountable, and
some may vary depending on the context:
e.g. migraine is countable in Ive got a migraine,
but uncountable in Weve got a family history of migraine.
Task 4
To increase the authenticity of the situation you could bring in props such as
magazines for the waiting room, boxes from various medicines, a bandage,
etc.

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Describing health problems

Answers:
allergic to

(a) cold

d/f

eczema

(a) migraine

c/h

angina

d/h

constipation

feverish

e/f

mumps

appendicitis

constipated

flu

nauseous/
sick

arthritis

a cough

food
poisoning

piles

asthma

cramp

a headache

pregnant

backache

(a) cut

c/g

had a heart
attack

a rash

been bitten

cystitis

incontinent

rheumatism

been sick /
vomited

diabetes

indigestion

c/d

a sore throat

bleeding

a/c

diabetic

(an)
infected

a/c

(a) sprained

a/c
/g

a blister

diarrhoea

an infection

stomach
ache

(a) broken

a/g

dizzy

an insect
bite

had a stroke

burned

earache

insomnia

sunburn

cancer

d/h

epileptic

a lump

(a) swollen

a/c

chicken pox

epilepsy

d/h

measles

toothache

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Describing health problems

Cards:
allergic to

(a) cold

epilepsy

(a) migraine

angina

constipation

feverish

mumps

appendicitis

constipated

flu

nauseous/sick

arthritis

a cough

food poisoning

piles

asthma

cramp

a headache

pregnant

backache

(a) cut

had a heart
attack

a rash

been bitten

cystitis

incontinent

rheumatism

been sick /
vomited

diabetes

indigestion

a sore throat

bleeding

diabetic

(an) infected

(a) sprained

a blister

diarrhoea

an infection

stomach ache

(a) broken

dizzy

an insect bite

had a stroke

burned

earache

insomnia

sunburn

cancer

eczema

a lump

(a) swollen

chicken pox

epileptic

measles

toothache

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Page 3 of 7

Describing health problems

List of health words/expressions:
Problem

a-i

Translation

Problem

allergic to

epilepsy

angina

feverish

appendicitis

flu

arthritis

food poisoning

asthma

a headache

backache

had a heart
attack

been bitten

incontinent

been sick /
vomited

indigestion

bleeding

(an) infected

a blister

an infection

(a) broken

(an) insect bite

burned

insomnia

cancer

a lump

chicken pox

measles

(a) cold

(a) migraine

constipation

mumps

constipated

nauseous/sick

a cough

piles

cramp

pregnant

(a) cut

a rash

cystitis

rheumatism

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a-i

Translation

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Describing health problems

Problem

a-i

Translation

Problem

diabetes

a sore throat

diabetic

(a) sprained

diarrhoea

stomach ache

dizzy

had a stroke

earache

sunburn

eczema

(a) swollen

epileptic

toothache

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15018

a-i

Translation

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Describing health problems

Worksheet
Task 1 Lead-in
Work in a group of three or four. How many health problems can you name in
English? Make a list.
Read them out to the class. You win a point for each health problem that no
one else thought of.
Task 2 Describing health problems
The signs of an illness, for example, difficulty breathing, are called symptoms.
You will need to explain your symptoms to the doctor.
We can use the following expressions to explain the problem:
a) My (+ part of the body) hurts.
My (+ part of the body) is (+ adjective / verb in the -ing form).
e.g. My head hurts.
e.g. My leg is broken.
e.g. My finger is bleeding.
b) Ive got a pain here. (Point to the place.)
Ive got a pain in my (+ part of body).
e.g. Ive got a pain in my head.
c) Ive got
e.g. Ive
e.g. Ive
e.g. Ive

(a) (+ symptoms).
got a headache.
got diarrhoea.
got a swollen leg.

d) I think Ive got (+name of the problem).

e.g. I think Ive got flu.
e.g. I think Ive got a broken leg.
e) Im (+ adjective for the illness).
e.g. Im anaemic.
f) I feel (+ adjective).
e.g. I feel ill.
g) Ive (+ verb in the past participle).
e.g. Ive broken my leg.
e.g. Ive put on weight recently.

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Describing health problems

You may also need to describe the serious illnesses that other members of
your family have had. These are your family history. You can describe
your family history like this:
h) Weve got a family history of (+ name of the illness).
e.g. Weve got a family history of heart disease.
i) Weve got a history of (+ name of the illness) in the family.
e.g. Weve got a history of heart disease in the family.
Your teacher will give you some cards with health problems on. Check their
meanings in a dictionary and decide how you can use the words/expressions.
Sort them into columns, a-i. There may be several possible answers.
Task 3 Follow-up
Your teacher will now give you a list of all the health problems. Write the
correct letter(s) a-i next to each word/expression. You can also use a
dictionary and write the translation.
Task 4 Role-play
Work in pairs and write a role-play between a doctor and a patient.
Practise it then perform it in front of the class.

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