1. Describing illness
There are different ways to describe feeling ill:
- noun + problem
- feel + (adjective)
- be …ing
- can’t / won’t stop …ing
- unable to / can’t …
- have + noun
2. Noun + problem
| Noun | Problem | Complete sentence |
|---|
| My head | hurts | My head hurts. |
| His tooth | hurts | His tooth hurts. |
| Owen’s lower leg | is swollen | Owen’s lower leg is swollen. |
| My stomach | aches | My stomach aches. |
3. Feel + adjective
| Feel | Adjective | Complete sentence |
|---|
| I feel | sick | I feel sick |
| He feels | dizzy | He feels dizzy |
| She feels | bloated | She feels bloated |
4. Be …ing
| be …ing | full sentence |
|---|
| I am vomiting | I’m vomiting every morning |
| He is coughing | He is coughing up blood |
| They are shivering | They are shivering |
5. Can’t / won’t stop …ing
| can’t / won’t stop …ing | example full sentence |
|---|
| can’t stop coughing | I can’t stop coughing. |
| won’t stop shaking | My hand won’t stop shaking. |
| can’t stop going to the bathroom | She can’t stop going to the bathroom. |
| can’t stop being sick | Sheila can’t stop being sick. |
6. Unable to … / can’t …
| unable to … / can’t … | full sentences |
|---|
| unable to swallow | I’m unable to swallow. |
| unable to sleep | She is unable to sleep. |
| can’t breathe | They can’t breathe. |
7. Have a + noun
| have a | noun | complete sentences |
|---|
| have a | sore head | I have a sore head. |
| have a | broken leg | He has a broken leg. |
| has a | toothache | She has a toothache. |
| has a | pain | Margot has a pain in her side |
8. Sore vs. …ache vs. have a pain in the…
Although not an illness, you can always use sore if you feel pain.
| I have a sore head. | I have a sore tooth. |
| I have a sore leg. | I have a sore toe. |
| I have a sore stomach. | I have a sore nose. |
However, some parts of the body have special ‘…ache’ words.
| I have a toothache. | I have a stomachache. |
| I have an earache. | I have a headache. |
‘A pain in my…’ is used for general areas of the body.
| I have a pain in my side. | I have a pain in my stomache. |
| I have a pain in my leg. | I have a pain in my thigh. |
If a body part usually uses ‘sore’ or ‘ache’, pain sounds unusual.
This generally means the pain is unusual or severe.
| Sore / ache | Pain |
|---|
| I have a stomachache. (normal) | I have a pain in my stomach. (unusual, maybe severe) |
| I have a sore leg. (normal) | I have a pain in my leg. (not sure why, and could be serious) |