Topic: Health | Speaking for IELTS PDF Download

Definitions 

• Aches and pains: minor pains that continue over a period of time
• To be a bit off colour: to feel a little ill
• To be at death’s door: (informal) to be very ill indeed
• To be on the mend: to be recovering after an illness
• To be over the worst: to have got through the most serious or uncomfortable stage of an illlness
• To be under the weather: (informal) to not feel well
• A blocked nose: when the nose has excess fluid due to a cold
• To catch a cold: to get a cold
• A check-up: a physical examination by a doctor
• A chesty cough: a cough caused by congestion around the lungs
• Cuts and bruises: minor injuries
• To feel poorly: to feel ill
• As fit as a fiddle: to be very healthy
• To go down with a cold: to become ill
• To go private: to choose to be treated by commercial healthcare rather than by services offered by the state
• GP: General Practitioner (family doctor)
• To have a filling: to have a tooth repaired
• To have a tooth out: to have a tooth removed
• A heavy cold: a bad cold
• To make an appointment: to arrange a time to see the doctor
• To make a speedy recovery: to recover quickly from an illness
• To phone in sick: to call work to explain you won’t be attending work due to illness
• Prescription charges: money the patient pays for medicine authorised by a doctor
• To pull a muscle: to strain a muscle
• A runny nose: a nose that has liquid coming out of it
• A sore throat: inflammation that causes pain when swallowing