General English:6-Elementary
Going to the doctor's
1 Expressions Accidents and injuries
Pam:Jake,what happened?
Jake:I uh,fell down some stairs.
Pam:What?How did you do that?
Jake:I don't know.I just,Uh....fell.
Simon:Really?why don't you tell her the whole story,Jake?
Jake:i don't know what you're talking about.
Pam:Come on.Tell me what happened.
Jake:well
Jake:I was walking down some stairs,and I wasn't paying attention.
Simon:Actually,you were paying attention,but not to the stairs.
Pam:Okay.What does that mean?
Simon:Well....
Simon:He was paying attention to a very attractive young woman,who was walking up the stairs as he
was walking down.
Jake:I think the stairs were wet,or something.
Simon:Anyway,he fell down the stairs and broke his leg.
Pam:oh,Jake,That's awful.
Jake:Yeah.I bruised three ribs and,uh,sprained my right wrist.
Jake:Oh,sorry.
Pam:Ohhh.When dis this happen?
Jake:Uh,two days ago.
Pam:And how are you coping with the crutches?
Jake:crutches?No problem at all.
Accidents and injuries
You can describe accidents and injuries by explaining what happened, or the outcome.
What happened
I slipped and cut my arm.
I fell down and bruised my shoulder.
Outcome
I have a bruise on my arm.
I have a sprained wrist.
I have a broken leg.
2 Grammear Actions at the same time
While and when for interrupted actions
When describing an accident, you can often include two actions, with one action (was + verb + ing) being interrupted by another.
I sprained my ankle while I was playing soccer. I sprained my ankle while I was playing soccer.
I was walking on an icy road when I slipped and broke my leg. I was walking on an icy road when I slipped and broke my leg.
As you might have noticed, you can use the words while and when to introduce the action that was happening at the time.
While I was crossing the road, a woman fell down.
While I was crossing the road, a woman fell down.
When I was driving to work, I saw the accident.
When I was driving to work, I saw the accident.
You can also use when to introduce the second action.
A: What happened?
What happened?
B: I was climbing the ladder when I slipped.
I was climbing the ladder when I slipped.
I bruised my shoulder while I was cycling.
I was running for a bus when I sprained my ankle.
I broke my arm while I was playing volleyball.
I fell off a wall and broke my leg.
I have a bruise on my arm.
I sprained my wrist and bruised my leg.
3 Expressions Answering questions about Accidents
Asking questions about an accident
There are a few typical questions to ask someone when they've recently had an accident.
What happened?
What happened?
Oh, no! Were you OK?
Oh, no! Were you OK?
And how are you feeling now?
And how are you feeling now?
And here are some typical responses, often downplaying the seriousness of the accident.
A: Hey. How was your weekend?
Hey. How was your weekend?
B: Mmmm, it was OK. Not so great.
Mmmm, it was OK. Not so great.
A: What happened?
What happened?
B: Well, while I was cooking,I slipped and fell down.
Well, while I was cooking, I slipped and fell down.
A: Oh, no! Were you OK?
Oh, no! Were you OK?
B: Yes. I went to the hospital, but it wasn't serious.
Yes, I went to the hospital, but it wasn't serious.
A: And how are you feeling now?
And how are you feeling now?
B: I'm OK. I have a bruise on my head, but I'll be fine.
I'm OK. I have a bruise on my head, but I'll be fine.
4 Final Task Talking about an illness or injury
