Medical English - Compound Nouns 1

the English




1. Use the words in columns A and B to make compound nouns. Match them to the pictures 1 - 9.













2. Add a word to each set of three words to make three compound nouns.



1
2
3
4 5
6
7
9
8
A B
x-ray Zimmer intravenous (IV)
wheel tongue first aid
bed walking hearing
stick box frame
aid pan chair
machine drip press
a. back
head
stomach
b. milk
false
wisdom

c. pan
sore
bath
d. wax
ache
lobe

e. yellow
scarlet
glandular
f. eye
blood
pregnancy

g. graft
cream
cancer
h. clot
pressure
transfusion
i. sun
side
heart
j. sea
love
home

k. beat
attack
failure
l. ball
brow
socket

Medical English - Compound Nouns 2
the English



3. Match the compound nouns from page 1 to the following definitions.
a. A thick lump of blood -
b. Pain in your stomach -
c. A young childs first set of teeth -
d. A strip of hair growing above the eye -
e. A machine for taking x-ray photographs -
f. Indigestion which causes pain in the chest -
g. An infectious disease causing fever and a red rash -
h. A metal structure that supports someone when they walk -
i. A container used as a toilet by someone confined to bed -
j. A skin ulcer caused by lying in the same position for too long -
k. Damage to the skin caused by over-exposure to UV radiation -
l. Molars at the back of the mouth which appear at about the age of 20 -

4. Complete the gaps in the following sentences with compound nouns from page 1.
a. I had terrible . I couldnt eat a thing all day.
b. The ferry crossing was awful. I felt the entire way.
c. The nurse checked my and told me it was a little high.
d. The doctor used a and looked at the back of my throat.
e. I went to the opticians for an and he said I had twenty-twenty vision.
f. Ive got a terrible . Ive taken two aspirin but its still not gone away.
g. My grandfather doesnt have any of his own teeth. He wears to eat.
h. He contracted from a mosquito bite while travelling in the tropics.
i. My younger sisters been ever since she met her new boyfriend.
j. I pushed my brother around in a after he broke his legs in an accident.
k. In case of emergences I keep a in my car with plasters and bandages.
l. When I went abroad to study I was terribly . I missed my family very much.

Medical English - Compound Nouns 3
the English





5. Discuss your answers to the following questions with your partner.

a. When was the last time you had a headache? What do you do when you have a headache?
b. Have you ever had backache? What was the cause of this?
c. Do you have a first aid box in your home?
d. Have you ever had to use a walking stick?
e. Have you ever used a wheelchair? Have you ever pushed someone around in a wheelchair?
f. Do you know anyone who uses a Zimmer frame?
g. Do you know anyone who uses a hearing aid or has false teeth?
h. Have you ever been seasick? Do you ever suffer from carsickness?
i. Have you ever been homesick?
j. Have you ever had sunburn? What do you usually do to protect your skin from the sun?
k. When was the last time you had your blood pressure checked?
l. Have you ever had a blood test? What for?
m. Have you ever had your eyes tested?
Medical English - Compound Nouns 4
the English

Vocabulary Compound Nouns - Teachers notes Procedure and Answers
The purpose of this lesson is to present and practice a variety of compound nouns. Timing = 60+ minutes.

1. Write the title on the whiteboard and give some examples of compound nouns e.g. backache / health check / finger print.
Elicit more examples and write these on the board.
2. Exercise 1, Page 1. Students work in pairs to combine the words in columns A and B to make compound nouns. They
then match them to the correct pictures 1 - 9. Check the answers as a whole class.
3. Exercise 2, Page 1. In pairs, students make three compound nouns by writing a single word on each line. Conduct class
feedback.
4. Exercise 3, Page 2. Individually, students match the compound nouns on page 1 to the definitions. Students check their
answers in pairs. Conduct class feedback.
5. Tell students to cover or turn over the handout. Nominate a student, read one of the definitions to them, they must tell
you the correct compound noun. Continue this process for several nouns with different students in the class. In pairs,
students continue this by testing each other in the same way.
6. Exercise 4, Page 2. Individually, students complete the gap in each sentence with one of the compound nouns from page
1. Students check their answers in pairs. Conduct class feedback.
7. Exercise 5, Page 3. In pairs or small groups, students discuss their answers to the questions. Conduct class feedback and
an error correction session as appropriate.

Answers

Exercise 1, Page 1 Exercise 2, Page 1
1. wheelchair a. ache - backache, headache, stomach-ache
2. intravenous drip b. teeth - milk teeth, false teeth, wisdom teeth
3. bedpan c. bed - bedpan, bedsore, bed bath
4. hearing aid d. ear - earwax, earache, earlobe
5. x-ray machine e. fever - yellow fever, scarlet fever, glandular fever
6. tongue press f. test - eye test, blood test, pregnancy test
7. first aid box g. skin - skin graft, skin cream, skin cancer
8. walking stick h. blood - blood clot, blood pressure, blood transfusion
9. Zimmer frame i. burn - sunburn, sideburn, heartburn
j. sick - seasick, lovesick, homesick
k. heart - heart beat, heart attack, heart failure
l. eye - eyeball, eyebath, eye socket


Exercise 3, Page 2 Exercise 4, Page 2
a. blood clot a. stomach-ache
b. stomach-ache b. seasick
c. milk teeth c. blood pressure
d. eye brow d. tongue press
e. x-ray machine e. eye test
f. heart burn f. headache
g. scarlet fever g. false teeth
h. Zimmer frame / walking stick h. yellow fever
i. bedpan i. lovesick
j. bedsore j. wheelchair
k. sunburn k. first aid box
l. wisdom teeth l. homesick