English Course · Level 4 (B1+) · Week 8 of 12

Health and Medicine

Grammar: Articles — a / an, the and no article (advanced)

This week's plan

Day	Learn	Listen / Watch	Practise
Day 1	Words: Symptoms · Sentences 1–2	TED-Ed: “What causes insomnia?” (video)	Exercise 1
Day 2	Words: At the doctor's · Sentences 3–4	TED-Ed: “How do germs spread (and why do they make us sick)?” (video)	Exercise 2
Day 3	Words: Treatment · Sentences 5–6	VOA Learning English: “What Is the 'Zero Article'?” (audio) + BBC 6 Minute Grammar: “The definite article with abstract uncountable nouns” (podcast)	Exercise 3
Day 4	Words: Healthy habits · Sentences 7–8	TED-Ed: “How does the immune system work?” (video)	Exercise 4
Day 5	Words: People and places · Sentences 9–10	BBC 6 Minute English: “Embarrassed to go to the doctor?” (podcast)	Write & Speak
Day 6	Review all 30 words + 10 sentences	TED-Ed: “How do vaccines work?” (video) + TED-Ed: “What is a calorie?” (video)	Redo mistakes
Day 7	Free day ☺	TED-Ed: “What would happen if you didn’t sleep?” (video)	Tick your tracker

30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.

30 words to learn

Set 1 · Symptoms

a rashطفح جلدي
a runny noseسيلان الأنف / رشح
a temperatureحرارة / سخونية
dizzyدائخ / دايخ
a coughسعال / كحة
feel sickيشعر بالغثيان

Set 2 · At the doctor's

make an appointmentيحجز موعدًا / يحجز كشف
examineيفحص / يكشف على
a specialistطبيب متخصص / أخصائي
refer someone toيحوّل (مريضًا) إلى
an X-rayصورة أشعة / أشعة سينية
a blood testتحليل دم

Set 3 · Treatment

treatmentعلاج
take medicineيتناول الدواء
a painkillerمسكّن
healيلتئم / يُشفى
an operationعملية جراحية
antibioticsمضادات حيوية

Set 4 · Healthy habits

a couch potatoشخص كسول قليل الحركة
get some fresh airيخرج إلى الهواء الطلق / يشم هوا
have a sweet toothيحب الحلويات كثيرًا
give up smokingيقلع عن التدخين
get enough sleepينام قدرًا كافيًا
stay hydratedيشرب ماءً كافيًا

Set 5 · People and places

a pharmacistصيدلي
a surgeonجرّاح
a paramedicمسعف
an emergencyحالة طارئة / طوارئ
a clinicعيادة
a wardعنبر / قسم في المستشفى

10 sentences to memorise

1I've had a sore throat and a temperature since Sunday.عندي التهاب في الحلق وحرارة منذ يوم الأحد.
2I'd like to make an appointment with a doctor, please.أود أن أحجز موعدًا مع طبيب، من فضلك.
3The doctor examined me and gave me a prescription.فحصني الطبيب وأعطاني وصفة طبية.
4My grandfather went into hospital for an operation.دخل جدي المستشفى لإجراء عملية جراحية.
5We visited him in the hospital near our house.زرناه في المستشفى القريب من بيتنا.
6Life is too short to worry about everything.الحياة أقصر من أن نقلق بشأن كل شيء.
7Doctors say that sugar is bad for the heart.يقول الأطباء إن السكر ضارّ بالقلب.
8This medicine may have some side effects, such as feeling dizzy.قد يكون لهذا الدواء بعض الأعراض الجانبية، مثل الشعور بالدوار.
9I'm trying to cut down on sugar and work out three times a week.أحاول أن أقلّل من السكر وأن أتمرّن ثلاث مرات في الأسبوع.
10It took her two weeks to recover from flu.استغرقت أسبوعين حتى تعافت من الإنفلونزا.

Grammar: Articles — a / an, the and no article (advanced)

a / an = one of many, first mention, jobs (She's a nurse).

the = something specific or already known, unique things (the sun), superlatives (the best).

No article = things in general with plural or uncountable nouns (Doctors work hard. Sugar is bad for you.) and in fixed phrases: go to hospital / school / bed / work.

في العربية نقول «الصحة أهم شيء» و«الأطباء يعملون بجد» بأداة التعريف «ال» عند الكلام العام، فيترجمها المتعلم إلى The health is important و The doctors work hard، وهذا خطأ. في الإنجليزية الكلام العام يكون بلا أداة: Health is important. Doctors work hard. ونستخدم the فقط عندما نقصد شيئًا محددًا: The doctor who treated me was kind. وانتبه: go to hospital (للعلاج كمريض) لكن go to the hospital (لزيارة مريض أو لسبب آخر).

Article	Use	Example
a / an	one of many, first mention, jobs	I saw a doctor. She's a surgeon.
the	specific / already known	The doctor I saw was very kind.
the	only one, superlatives	the sun, the best hospital in Cairo
no article	general plural / uncountable nouns	Vegetables are good for you. Stress causes illness.
no article	places used for their main purpose	go to hospital / school / university / bed

Wrong: The smoking is bad for the health. ✔ Smoking is bad for your health.

Illnesses: a cold, a headache, a temperature · but flu (or the flu), diabetes, cancer — no a.

Rivers, seas and musical instruments take the: the Nile, the Red Sea, play the oud.

Exercises

Exercise 1 · Complete with a, an, the or – (no article).

1) ___ exercise is good for your heart.
2) My sister is ___ nurse at ___ big hospital in Giza.
3) ___ nurse who helped me was very kind.
4) I have ___ terrible headache.
5) He broke his leg and was taken to ___ hospital.
6) ___ Nile is ___ longest river in Africa.
7) She works as ___ engineer.
8) ___ vegetables and ___ fruit are important in a balanced diet.

Show the answers

1) – 2) a · a 3) The 4) a 5) – (British English: taken to hospital as a patient; the hospital is also accepted) 6) The · the 7) an 8) – · –

Exercise 2 · Correct the mistake.

1) The health is more important than money.
2) My uncle is surgeon.
3) I go to the bed at eleven.
4) She's best doctor in Alexandria.
5) The doctors say we should drink more water. (doctors in general)
6) I've got a flu.

Show the answers

1) Health is more important than money. 2) My uncle is a surgeon. 3) I go to bed at eleven. 4) She's the best doctor in Alexandria. 5) Doctors say we should drink more water. 6) I've got flu. / I've got the flu.

Exercise 3 · Choose the correct option.

1) My mother is in (hospital / the hospital) — she had an operation yesterday.
2) I went to (hospital / the hospital) to visit my friend.
3) (Sugar / The sugar) on the table is for the guests.
4) (Sugar / The sugar) is bad for your teeth.
5) Can you pass me (a / the) salt, please?
6) He has (an / a) appointment at ten.

Show the answers

1) hospital 2) the hospital 3) The sugar 4) Sugar 5) the 6) an

Exercise 4 · Translate into English.

1) الرياضة مفيدة للصحة.
2) الطبيب الذي فحصني كان لطيفًا جدًا.
3) أختي صيدلانية في الإسكندرية.
4) أحاول أن أقلّل من القهوة.
5) ذهبت إلى الطبيب لإجراء فحص دوري.

Show the answers

1) Exercise is good for your health. / Sport is good for your health. / Exercise is good for health. 2) The doctor who examined me was very kind. / The doctor who examined me was really nice. 3) My sister is a pharmacist in Alexandria. 4) I'm trying to cut down on coffee. 5) I went to the doctor's for a check-up. / I went to the doctor for a check-up.

Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.

Write & Speak

Write & Speak — “Is it easier to stay healthy today than fifty years ago?”: write an opinion essay of 150–200 words. Give your opinion, two reasons and examples. Check every a, an, the and no-article noun. Then discuss the question with a friend or family member.

Example: In my opinion, it is both easier and harder to stay healthy today than fifty years ago. On the one hand, medicine has improved enormously. When my grandmother was a child in a small village near Minya, there was no clinic, and people often died from illnesses that are easy to treat now. Today, vaccines protect children from many diseases, and most people can see a doctor or a pharmacist within minutes. On the other hand, our lifestyle has become much less healthy. My grandparents walked everywhere, worked in the fields and ate fresh vegetables, bread and beans. Nowadays, many of us sit at a desk all day, drive to work and eat fast food late at night. As a result, diabetes and heart disease are becoming more common, even among young people. Stress and lack of sleep are also serious problems in big cities like Cairo. To sum up, the knowledge is there, but the choice is ours. If we cut down on sugar, work out regularly and get enough sleep, we can be healthier than any generation before us.