Step 97: What Doctors Say
Precision and caution — Hedging and tentative language
📖 Read — A Visit to Dr. Parker
“Take a deep breath,” said Dr. Parker, listening to Ethan's chest. “Again. Okay. You mentioned a splitting headache and a fever since Tuesday. Your blood pressure is a little high — that tends to happen when we're fighting an infection. Let me run a couple of tests, just to be careful.”
An hour later she had the picture: “It's a chest infection — common this season, and in most cases it clears with rest and the right dose. I'm going to prescribe an antibiotic. One warning: it may cause drowsiness, so no driving after the evening dose. You're not allergic to anything, are you? Good. Drink water, sleep, and you should recover within a week. If the fever returns, call us the same day.” (This step teaches the English of the doctor's office — always follow your own doctor's advice.)
🧩 Grammar — Medical Collocations and Hedged Health Language
The doctor's office runs on collocations: have a fever / a cough / a rash, a splitting headache (very strong), take your temperature / blood pressure, run tests, prescribe medicine / a dose, be allergic TO, suffer FROM, recover FROM an illness, get over it (= recover). And listen to the HEDGES of careful science: tends to, may cause, in most cases, should recover — medicine speaks in probabilities, and so does professional English.
- She has a splitting headache.
- The doctor prescribed a low dose.
- He's allergic to nuts.
- It may cause drowsiness.
🏗️ Key structures
- have a ___ (fever / cough / headache) — I've had a fever since Tuesday.
- be allergic to ___ / suffer from ___ — She suffers from migraines.
- It may ___ / It tends to ___ (hedges) — This medicine may cause sleepiness.
⭐ Idiom & natural phrases
Grandpa is ninety and fit as a fiddle.
🔤 New words
a sign in your body that shows an illness (fever, pain, rash)
Fever is a symptom of the flu.
the paper or order from a doctor that lets you buy a medicine
You need a prescription for this drug.
the amount of medicine you take at one time
Take one dose after breakfast.
your body reacts badly to something (be allergic TO)
She's allergic to cats.
get better after an illness (recover FROM)
He recovered from surgery quickly.
look at something carefully — doctors examine patients
The doctor examined my throat.
the force of blood moving in your body — measured at the doctor's
Your blood pressure is normal.
an extra, usually unwanted effect of a medicine
Drowsiness is a common side effect.
🎧 Say it with me
I’ve had a splitting headache and a fever since Tuesday. The doctor ran some tests, prescribed a dose, and said I should recover within a week.
🎤 Your turn to speak
Role-play the patient: describe three symptoms with collocations, then report one hedged thing the doctor said ('may cause…', 'should recover…').
Say it out loud three times. Even better: record it on your phone and listen — your ear is your best teacher.
✍️ Your turn to write
Write a 5-sentence doctor-visit summary: symptoms with collocations, one test, one prescription, one hedge.
See a model answer
I went to Dr. Parker because I had a high fever and a splitting headache. She took my blood pressure and ran a blood test. The results suggested a simple infection, common in most cases during winter. She prescribed a light dose twice a day and warned that it may cause drowsiness. With rest and water, I should recover within a few days.
Self-check: capital letters? Full stops? Did you use the grammar of this step?
📝 Quick check
🎉 Saved in your progress!