Everyday Dialogues

Going to
the Doctor
In this lesson, you will learn useful words for
expressing health symptoms to a doctor. It’s a
good idea to practice describing your symptoms
before you go to a doctor’s office. Let’s start by
talking about your current health situation.

Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. Where do you go when you feel sick?

2. How do you feel right now? Do you have any aches and pains?

3. Are you comfortable talking to a doctor in English? Why or why not?

4. H
 ave you suffered from a cold or flu lately?
How did you catch the cold or flu?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the illnesses and symptoms with the body’s reactions.

1. flu a) sore chest

2. rash b) can’t swallow
3. nauseous c) can’t walk
4. cough d) purple skin
5. sore throat e) can’t bend over
6. cut finger f) red, itchy skin
7. sprained ankle g) sneezing
8. bruise h) feeling like vomiting
9. backache i) fever and chills
10. cold j) bleeding

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 Going to the Doctor
Everyday Dialogues

Dialogue Reading
Read the dialogue with your partner a few times. Take turns
being each character. Practice your intonation and pronunciation.
Circle any new words or phrases that you need to practice.

Dr. Barnes: Good morning, Mr. Perez. How are you feeling today?

Mr. Perez: I have a sore throat.

Dr. Barnes: When did it start?

Mr. Perez: Three days ago.

Dr. Barnes: Do you have any other symptoms?

Mr. Perez: I have a slight fever.

Okay. I’ll have a look at your throat.

Dr. Barnes:
I’m going to give you a prescription for an antibiotic.

Mr. Perez: How often should I take it?

Take one pill three times a day for seven days.

Dr. Barnes:
You’ll probably start to feel better in a couple of days.

Mr. Perez: Thank you, Doctor Barnes.

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 Going to the Doctor
Everyday Dialogues

Practice
Work with your partner. Role-play the dialogue on page 2,
substituting the different expressions below. Then switch roles.

1. How are you feeling today? 5. Do you have any other symptoms?

• What seems to be the problem? • Does anything else hurt?

• What’s bothering you? • Is anything else bothering you?
• What’s the matter?
6. I have a slight fever.
2. I have a sore throat.
• (See #2.)
• I have a terrible cough.
• I have a migraine headache. 7. I’ll have a look at your throat.
• I have a stomachache.
• Let me look at your arm.
• I have a rash on my arm.
• I’ll examine your ears.
• I have a slight fever.
• It hurts when I swallow.
8. I’m going to give you a prescription for an antibiotic.
• I have a bad cold.
• I feel nauseous. • I’ll write you a prescription for some cough syrup.
• I am vomiting. • Here’s a prescription for a painkiller.
• My skin is very itchy. • Here’s a prescription for some ointment.
• I have the chills.
9. Take one pill three times a day for seven days.
3. When did it start?
• Take the cough syrup before bedtime every night for a week.
• How long have you had it? • Use these drops twice a day for ten days.
• How long has it been bothering you? • Apply the cream to your rash twice a day until it disappears.

4. Three days ago. 10. You’ll probably start to feel better in a couple of days.

• It started last week. • You’ll probably start to feel better by the end of the week.
• I’ve had it since Monday. • You’ll probably start to feel better in three or four days.
• I’ve had it for about three days. • It will clear up in a few days.

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 Going to the Doctor
Everyday Dialogues

Listening Practice
Listen to the recording of the dialogue from page 2. Fill in the missing
words as you listen. Listen again. Now look back at page 2 and check your
work. Did you fill in the correct words? Did you spell everything correctly?

Dr. Barnes: Good morning, Mr. Perez. How are you                   ?

Mr. Perez: I have               .

Dr. Barnes: When                     ?

Mr. Perez:                                            .

Dr. Barnes: Do you have any other              ?

Mr. Perez: I have              .

Okay. I’ll              your throat.

Dr. Barnes:
I’m going to give you a              for an             .

Mr. Perez:               should I take it ?

Take one pill              times a day for              .

Dr. Barnes:
You’ll probably start to feel better in              .

Mr. Perez:                                            .

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 Going to the Doctor
Everyday Dialogues

Write Your Own Dialogue

Write a dialogue with a partner using phrases from page 3.
One of you will be a doctor and the other will be a patient.
Practice and present the dialogue to your class.

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 Going to the Doctor
Everyday Dialogues

Review
Task 1

LISTEN & ANSWER

Listen to the conversation and answer the questions.

Your teacher will tell you if you have to write or say the answers.

1. Why did Mr. Perez go to the doctor?

2. How long has he been feeling sick?

3. Does Mr. Perez have any other symptoms? If yes, which ones?

4. What does the doctor prescribe?

5. What should happen in a few days?

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 Going to the Doctor
Everyday Dialogues

Review cont.
Task 2

I NEED A DOCTOR

List five problems you could have with your health.

Write (or say) them as if you are talking to a doctor.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Task 3

CALLING THE DOCTOR

Pretend to call a doctor’s office

during off-hours. Leave a message Example
on an answering machine about
Answering Machine: 
why your child or spouse needs Hello. You have reached the office of Dr. Gold. Our office is now closed.
an appointment with the doctor. Please leave a detailed message after the tone and we will return
State your name and the name your call. If this is a medical emergency, please call health services
of your family member. Then at 1-800-T-H-E-B-O-D-Y.
list at least two health concerns. Message:
Make sure to leave a phone Hello. This is Connor Quinn. I’m calling about my daughter, Nicola.
number so the doctor’s office Nicola has a really sore throat. I think she may have an ear infection, too.
can call you back. She is in a lot of pain, and I think she may need some antibiotics. I’d like to
make an appointment with Doctor Quinn tomorrow if possible. Please call
me back at 222-8907. Thank you.

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 Going to the Doctor
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Low Int

A patient goes to the doctor because he has TIME: 1.5 hours

a sore throat. Students learn vocabulary and
TAGS:  doctor, doctor’s day, health,
expressions to use when going to the doctor.
going to a doctor, symptoms, dialogues

Pre-Reading Review (Assessment Tasks)

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS The following tasks can be used for assessment purposes
and/or review practice. You can save all of the tasks until
Discuss as a class or in small groups. Individual answers.
the end or assess your students throughout the lesson.

B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW
TASK 1
1. i 3. h 5. b 7. c 9. e
Play the audio from this lesson. Then assign the questions. You
2. f 4. a 6. j 8. d 10. g
can decide if you want your students to say or write the answers.

1. Mr. Perez went to the doctor because he has a sore throat.

Dialogue Reading
2. He has been feeling sick for three days.
3. Yes, he also has a bit of a fever.
Give your students time to read the dialogue in pairs.
4. The doctor prescribes an antibiotic.
5. Mr. Perez should feel better after a few days on the antibiotic.
Practice
TASK 2
Have your students read the dialogue again and
Use this task to assess vocabulary retention and speaking or writing
practice subbing in some of the different expressions.
skills. For a speaking assessment, you can pretend to be the doctor.

Listening Practice TASK 3

Have students complete the dialogue by listening For this task, you could get your students to make a recording of

to the recording or by having two students read their message and send it to you. Or, you could have one student

the completed dialogue from page 2. read the answering machine message out loud and have another
student leave a message.

Write Your Own Dialogue

SPELLING NOTE:

Encourage your students to use vocabulary from the model. This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Practice.
Most other English-speaking countries spell it this way: Practise
(when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun). Make it a
challenge for your students to find this word in the lesson and
see if they know the alternate spelling.

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 Going to the Doctor
Everyday Dialogues

Copyright 2016, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( LO W I N T / V E R S I O N 4 . 0) 9