Health & Body — A2 Essential Words

doctor /ˈdɑːk.tɚ/ noun A2 Health

Meaning: A person whose job is to help sick people get better. Doctors study medicine for many years.

Example: Sophia took her son to the doctor this morning.

Another example: The doctor told Ethan to rest for two days.

Collocations: see a doctor · the doctor’s office · a family doctor

Synonyms: physician (formal)

Word family: doctor (n) · doctorate (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’see a doctor’ or ’go to the doctor’, not ’go to a doctor’s consultation’. In American English, write ’Dr. Lee’ with a period after Dr.

🗣 In spoken American English: People usually say ’the doctor’s’ for the office: ’I’m at the doctor’s.’ A ’check-up’ is a regular visit when you are not sick.

Register: neutral — ’physician’ is formal and used in writing

hospital /ˈhɑː.spɪ.t̬əl/ noun A2 Health

Meaning: A large building where doctors and nurses take care of very sick people, with beds for them to stay in.

Example: After the car accident, they took him to the hospital.

Another example: The new hospital in Denver has 300 beds.

Collocations: in the hospital · go to hospital · hospital bed

Synonyms: medical center

Word family: hospital (n) · hospitalize (v)

⚠ Common mistake: In American English, say ’in the hospital’ for a patient: ’He is in the hospital.’ Don’t copy the British ’in hospital’ in the US.

🗣 In spoken American English: People say ’take him to the hospital’ for an emergency. The emergency part is called ’the ER’ (emergency room).

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

sick /sɪk/ adjective A2 Health

Meaning: Not well; having an illness, like a cold or the flu.

Example: Lily is sick today, so she is staying home.

Another example: I felt sick after eating too much cake.

Collocations: feel sick · sick day · get sick

Synonyms: ill, unwell

Antonyms: healthy, well

Word family: sick (adj) · sickness (n) · sickly (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: ’Sick’ is the normal American word. ’Ill’ is fine but a little formal. Don’t say ’I am sick in bed with a temperature’ — say ’I have a fever’ for the temperature part.

🗣 In spoken American English: Workers ’call in sick’ when they phone work to say they can’t come. A ’sick day’ is a day off for illness.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

headache /ˈhed.eɪk/ noun A2 Health

Meaning: A pain in your head that continues for a while.

Example: I have a headache, so I’m going to lie down.

Another example: Too much noise gives me a headache.

Collocations: have a headache · a bad headache · headache medicine

Synonyms: head pain

Word family: headache (n) · head (n) · ache (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’I have a headache’ with ’a’. Don’t say ’I have headache’ or ’My head is paining’ — say ’My head hurts’.

🗣 In spoken American English: People also use ’headache’ for an annoying problem: ’Parking downtown is a real headache.’

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

medicine /ˈmed.ɪ.sən/ noun A2 Health

Meaning: Something you take, like a pill or a liquid, to help you get better when you are sick. It is also the science of helping sick people.

Example: Take this medicine twice a day after food.

Another example: She is studying medicine at a university in Boston.

Collocations: take medicine · cold medicine · medicine bottle

Synonyms: drug, medication (formal)

Word family: medicine (n) · medical (adj) · medication (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’take medicine’, not ’drink medicine’ or ’eat medicine’ — even for liquid medicine. ’Medicine’ is usually uncountable: ’some medicine’.

🗣 In spoken American English: Liquid medicine is often measured in spoonfuls: ’Take two spoonfuls.’ ’Over-the-counter medicine’ is medicine you can buy without a doctor’s paper.

Register: neutral — ’medication’ is formal, used by doctors

healthy /ˈhel.θi/ adjective A2 Health

Meaning: Well and not sick; strong and in good condition. Food or habits that are good for your body are also healthy.

Example: Eating vegetables helps you stay healthy.

Another example: Grandma is 90 years old and still very healthy.

Collocations: healthy food · stay healthy · healthy lifestyle

Synonyms: well, fit

Antonyms: sick, unhealthy

Word family: healthy (adj) · health (n) · healthily (adv)

⚠ Common mistake: Don’t mix up ’healthy’ (the person is well) and ’healthful’ — Americans use ’healthy’ for both people and food: ’healthy food’, ’a healthy child’.

🗣 In spoken American English: People say ’Stay healthy!’ and talk about ’healthy habits’ like sleep, water, and walking.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

exercise /ˈek.sɚ.saɪz/ noun and verb A2 Health

Meaning: Moving your body to stay strong and healthy, like running, swimming, or playing sports. As a verb, to do this kind of activity.

Example: Walking is great exercise for older people.

Another example: David exercises at the gym three times a week.

Collocations: get exercise · do exercise · exercise every day

Synonyms: workout (for gym exercise), physical activity

Word family: exercise (n) · exercise (v) · exercising (n)

⚠ Common mistake: ’Exercise’ as activity is uncountable: ’I need more exercise’, not ’exercises’. Countable ’exercises’ are school tasks or single movements: ’Do these grammar exercises’.

🗣 In spoken American English: Americans often say ’work out’ for gym exercise: ’I work out on Tuesdays.’ A single gym session is a ’workout’.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

tired /taɪɚd/ adjective A2 Health

Meaning: Feeling that you need to rest or sleep because you used a lot of energy.

Example: After the long drive to Nashville, we were all tired.

Another example: She looks tired — she worked all night.

Collocations: feel tired · very tired · tired of something

Synonyms: sleepy, exhausted (very tired)

Antonyms: energetic, rested

Word family: tired (adj) · tiring (adj) · tire (v)

⚠ Common mistake: ’I am tired’ is how you feel. ’I am boring’ is wrong for this — say ’I am bored’ for feelings about something uninteresting, and ’tired’ when you need rest.

🗣 In spoken American English: ’I’m tired of it’ means ’I don’t want it anymore’. To be polite, people say ’It’s been a long day’ instead of ’I’m tired’.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

fever /ˈfiː.vɚ/ noun A2 Health

Meaning: A body temperature that is higher than normal because you are sick. In the US, normal is about 98.6°F.

Example: The baby has a fever of 101 degrees.

Another example: If your fever is very high, call the doctor.

Collocations: have a fever · a high fever · fever of 101

Synonyms: high temperature

Word family: fever (n) · feverish (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’have a fever’ with ’a’. Americans measure fever in Fahrenheit (℉), not Celsius: a fever starts around 100.4°F.

🗣 In spoken American English: Parents often say ’She’s running a fever’ — it means the same as ’has a fever’.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

pain /peɪn/ noun A2 Health

Meaning: A bad feeling in a part of your body when you are sick or hurt. It can also mean a strong sad feeling.

Example: I have a pain in my right leg.

Another example: The medicine helped the pain go away.

Collocations: back pain · in pain · painkiller

Synonyms: ache (a continuing pain), hurt

Antonyms: comfort, relief

Word family: pain (n) · painful (adj) · painless (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Use ’pain’ for a strong or sharp feeling and ’ache’ for a long, low one: ’a sharp pain in my chest’, ’a dull ache in my back’. Say ’in pain’, not ’with pain’, for a person: ’He is in pain’.

🗣 In spoken American English: Doctors ask: ’Where is the pain?’ and ’How bad is it, from 1 to 10?’ A ’painkiller’ is medicine that stops pain.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing