Describing an Injury to the Doctor (Intermediate-Advanced)

Practice on Your Own

• Review the names of all the body parts you know, and common words relating to health (fever, sick, pain, injury…)
• Practice more specific words relating to being sick or injured. You might need to look some of these up online.
  • For example: sprain, break, fracture, twist, cut, bruise, ache.
  • If you get confused about wording for different types of injuries, note your questions so you can ask your conversation partner.
• Practice example sentences with the old and new vocabulary.
  • “I bruised my knee when I tripped on the sidewalk.”
  • “There’s a cut on my hand, now it aches very badly.”

Practice in Conversation Session

• Tell your conversation partner the new words you learned.
• Ask your conversation partner any vocabulary questions.
• Do at least three role plays with your conversation partner that are different versions of this scenario: You have been injured. Call the doctor’s office and give a detailed explanation of what happened. Describe how you are now. Try to make an appointment with the doctor as soon as possible.
  • While doing the role plays, you will have to narrate an event that happened in the past. Be conscious of any errors you might make while describing the past. Ask your conversation partner to correct your grammar or tell you when you could phrase something better.
  • Possible scenarios for a role play:
    • You were on your way to the farmers’ market when you saw an old friend. You were so excited to see your friend that you ran to them and accidentally tripped over a watermelon that had gotten away from the vendor and rolled toward you.
    • You were involved in a minor car accident. You and a friend were in the car and you both have some cuts and bruises. Describe where each of your injuries are and exactly how the accident happened.