Health & Care — B1 Essential Words
Ten essential B1 words (Health) with the complete apparatus: pronunciation, simple definitions, natural American examples, collocations, family, the common mistake and spoken usage — plus a 15-question practice quiz. Mark your status on every word.
symptom /ˈsɪmptəm/ noun B1 Health
Meaning: A change in your body that shows you may be ill, such as fever, pain, or a cough.
Example: A high fever is a symptom of the flu.
Another example: Tell the doctor all your symptoms.
Collocations: symptoms of · flu symptoms · show symptoms
Synonyms: sign, indication, effect
Antonyms: cause
Word family: symptoms (n pl) · symptomatic (adj)
⚠ Common mistake: Symptoms are what the PATIENT feels; signs are what the DOCTOR measures — the classic medical distinction.
🗣 In spoken American English: Symptom checkers online made everyone a midnight researcher.
Register: Neutral to formal — doctor visits essential.
treatment /ˈtriːtmənt/ noun B1 Health
Meaning: Medical care given to help a sick or injured person get better; also the way someone behaves toward others.
Example: The treatment helped her recover in a week.
Another example: Antibiotics are a common treatment for infections.
Collocations: treatment for · medical treatment · under treatment
Synonyms: therapy, cure, care
Word family: treat (v) · treatments (n pl)
⚠ Common mistake: Treatment FOR a condition. It also means behavior toward people: 'fair treatment' at work — two fields, one word.
🗣 In spoken American English: Doctors discuss options: 'Let's start this treatment and review in a month.'
Register: Formal — medical essential.
recovery /rɪˈkʌvəri/ noun B1 Health
Meaning: The process of becoming healthy again after an illness or injury; also improvement after a bad period.
Example: His recovery after surgery took two months.
Another example: The economy's recovery began in spring.
Collocations: make a recovery · recovery from · speedy recovery
Synonyms: healing, improvement, comeback
Antonyms: relapse, decline
Word family: recover (v) · recovered (adj)
⚠ Common mistake: People and economies both recover; the noun serves hospitals and headlines alike.
🗣 In spoken American English: Cards wish it warmly: 'Wishing you a speedy recovery.'
Register: Formal — health and news.
appointment /əˈpɔɪntmənt/ noun B1 Health
Meaning: An arrangement to meet someone at a fixed time, especially a doctor, dentist, or official.
Example: I have a dentist appointment at three.
Another example: Book an appointment online.
Collocations: make an appointment · doctor's appointment · appointment with
Synonyms: booking, visit, meeting
Word family: appointments (n pl) · appoint (v — choose for a job)
⚠ Common mistake: You MAKE or BOOK an appointment (never 'take'). Dentists and doctors own this word in daily life.
🗣 In spoken American English: Apps turned it into two taps — and a reminder text the day before.
Register: Neutral — scheduling essential.
emergency /ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi/ noun B1 Health
Meaning: A serious, dangerous situation that needs immediate action.
Example: Call 911 in an emergency.
Another example: The plane made an emergency landing.
Collocations: in an emergency · emergency room · emergency exit
Synonyms: crisis, urgent situation, disaster
Word family: emergencies (n pl) · emergent (adj — rare)
⚠ Common mistake: In the US, 911 is the emergency number. The hospital's emergency room is called the ER in speech.
🗣 In spoken American English: Buildings label their exits with it — the word glows red above every door.
Register: Neutral — safety essential.
mental /ˈmentl/ adjective B1 Health
Meaning: Relating to the mind and thinking, rather than the body.
Example: Mental health matters as much as physical health.
Another example: The puzzle is good mental exercise.
Collocations: mental health · mental exercise · mental strength
Synonyms: psychological, cognitive, of the mind
Antonyms: physical
Word family: mentally (adv) · mentality (n)
⚠ Common mistake: Mental pairs with physical as the great health contrast. 'Mental health' is the modern phrase — open, medical, unashamed.
🗣 In spoken American English: Schools and teams now train it like fitness: rest, talk, support.
Register: Neutral — health essential.
therapy /ˈθerəpi/ noun B1 Health
Meaning: Treatment that helps someone recover from illness, injury, or emotional problems, often through exercises or talking.
Example: Physical therapy helped his knee heal.
Another example: She goes to therapy every week.
Collocations: physical therapy · therapy session · in therapy
Synonyms: treatment, rehabilitation, counseling
Word family: therapist (n) · therapies (n pl) · therapeutic (adj)
⚠ Common mistake: Therapy has kinds: physical (body), occupational (daily skills), and talk therapy (mind). The person is a therapist.
🗣 In spoken American English: Open talk normalized it: 'My therapist says…' is ordinary conversation now.
Register: Neutral to formal — health staple.
vaccine /ˈvæksiːn/ noun B1 Health
Meaning: A substance put into the body (usually by injection) to protect against a disease.
Example: Children receive a flu vaccine every year.
Another example: The vaccine prevents serious illness.
Collocations: flu vaccine · vaccine against · get a vaccine
Synonyms: shot (informal), immunization
Word family: vaccines (n pl) · vaccinate (v) · vaccination (n)
⚠ Common mistake: In speech, the injection itself is 'a shot': 'a flu shot'. Vaccine names the substance and the science.
🗣 In spoken American English: School forms ask for vaccination records every September.
Register: Neutral to formal — public health essential.
allergy /ˈælərdʒi/ noun B1 Health
Meaning: A bad reaction of the body to something normally harmless, like dust, nuts, or animal hair.
Example: He has an allergy to peanuts.
Another example: Spring allergies make her eyes water.
Collocations: allergy to · food allergy · have an allergy
Synonyms: sensitivity, reaction
Word family: allergies (n pl) · allergic (adj) · allergen (n)
⚠ Common mistake: Allergic TO something; an allergy TO nuts. Labels shout it: 'Contains: peanuts' protects allergic readers.
🗣 In spoken American English: Restaurant servers ask it first in careful places: 'Any allergies?'
Register: Neutral — health and food essential.
clinic /ˈklɪnɪk/ noun B1 Health
Meaning: A place where people get medical treatment or advice, smaller than a hospital; also a session giving special training.
Example: The clinic treats children for free.
Another example: He visited a sleep clinic.
Collocations: at the clinic · health clinic · clinic hours
Synonyms: medical center, practice (doctor's)
Word family: clinics (n pl) · clinical (adj)
⚠ Common mistake: Clinic vs hospital: clinics are smaller, often for one kind of care; hospitals handle emergencies and surgery.
🗣 In spoken American English: Walk-in clinics made 'no appointment' care normal in US suburbs.
Register: Neutral — health essential.
Practice — Health & Care
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