ENGLISH GRAMMAR FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS
Author: Aleksandra Bildi.
Grammar is one of the most important aspects of studying foreign languages. In 1990s studying grammar was the key element of teaching English in Russia. Nowadays teaching methods are changing and become closer to situations of the real life communication. In spite of the role of grammar in teaching English is ambiguous, it is a field of knowledge which makes the language study process easier.
Teaching English for medical students is based on a specific purpose to use English for communication in medical environment and in related real-life situations (at the hospital, clinics or pharmacy). Is it hard to imagine full communication without grammar.
The subject of this article is learning grammar. And the object is English grammar.
The objective is to consider English grammar teaching methods for medical students.
Tasks of my article are to:
• consider features and difficulties of learning grammar
• investigate English grammar for medical students
• introduce situations of use
• provide brief information about the rules
• give examples
Modes that I will use are theory and practice.
There are a lot of difficulties we encounter when we study foreign languages. Most of them are related to the language grammar. These difficulties are divided into general difficulties and specific for English ones.
General difficulties are:
• different grammatical systems of the native and the foreign languages
• grammar phenomena of the foreign language that are absent in the native language
• absence of the native language grammar aspects in the foreign language.
English grammar is crisp but not as simple as it seems to be. It has its own features which are difficult to learn for students from Russian speaking background. However sequential study of grammar rules and control of knowledge within the real-life communication situations makes them easy to use.
Medical environment involves a lot of communication. The situations of communication can happen between a nurse and a patient, a doctor and a patient, a doctor and a nurse and etc. The more clear and simple an explanation or request is the better communication and understanding. The focus on grammar in this article aims to provide you with more in-depth descriptions, examples and practice activities for this language learning aspect.
Question forms. Asking questions helps to get information. That’s why it is important to learn how to ask questions.
Wh- questions begin with what, when, where, who, why and how. They are used to ask for information. The answer cannot be yes or no. Direct questions are the most common type of question in English - they are used when asking for both simple and complex information.
Wh- questions are formed with:
Question word- + Auxiliary verb (be, do or have) + Subject + Main Verb Form + (Objects) +?
Yes/No questions begin with an auxiliary word such as do/does; have/has; can/could/will/must/should etc/
While communicating we mostly use three grammar tenses.
Present simple. Past Simple Present Perfect
Do you have a headache? Did you take any medication? Have you felt the pain before?
Do/Does + subject + infinitive Did + subject + infinitive Have/Has + subject + V3
Adjectives. Adjectives are used with nouns to provide more information. The noun is modified by the adjective.
Features of adjectives:
• Most adjectives can go before a noun
Eg.: a sharp pain; a quick diagnosis; a short conversation.
• Most adjectives can go after a noun if the verb ‘be’ or ‘seem’ is used Eg.: My back is painful; The nurse was helpful; The hospital is large.
Comparative adjectives. Adjectives have comparative form. You can use this form when you are comparing the quality of someone or something.
The comparative is formed in the following way:
• Short adjectives = + er
Eg: Big – Bigger; Short – shorter; hot – hotter
• Long adjective with more than one syllable = more + adjective
Eg: Difficult = more difficult; Painful = more painful; Helpful = more helpful
• Long adjectives ending in ‘y’ = Happy – happier;
Irregular comparative forms
Bad = worse
Good = better
Below there is an example of a dialogue between a nurse and a patient at the reception. In this dialogue the patient is talking to the nurse to discuss his problem. Some people have difficulties with explaining the situation. That’s why the more and clear the nurse asks the more information a doctor will receive to make a diagnosis.
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TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PATIENT Nurse: Before we start, can I confirm your date of birth? Patient: The 18th of April 1980. Nurse: OK. How are you feeling today? Patient: I have a pain. Nurse: Where do you feel the pain? Patient: In my back. Nurse: And when did the pain start? Patient: Six days ago. |
Wh-question, Present Simple
Wh-question
Wh-question, Present Simple
Wh-question, Past Simple
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Nurse: What does the pain feel like? Patient: It is a sharp pain. Nurse: How much does it hurt on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is the worst pain? Patient: Hmm… about six. Nurse: How often do you feel the pain? Is it constant or does it come and go? Patient: It’s constant. Nurse: What makes the pain better? Patient: When I rest in bed. Nurse: And what makes the pain worse? Patient: Coughing makes it worse. Nurse: What medicines have you tried? Patient: Herbal remedies. Nurse: And what effect have they had? Patient: They’ve had no effect. |
Wh-question, Present Simple Adjective Wh-question, Present Simple present
Wh-question, Present Simple constant
Comparative Adjective
Comparative Adjective Comparative Adjective Wh-question, Present Perfect
Wh-question, Present Perfect
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The imperative. It is a grammatical form that is used to give instructions and orders.
It is formed by using the base form of the main verb (no subject).
Eg.: Check the patient’s blood pressure; Bend your knee; Take this medicine twice a day before meal.
To provide negative instructions do/does not is used.
Eg.: Do not take drugs without a doctor’s advice.
Modal verbs. It is a grammatical form that is used to show the ability and to talk about things people can do and things people should do.
Can. We use can to express general ability and possibility in the present.
+ - ?
Dr Smith can visit you at He couldn’t visit the clinic Could you spell your home. yesterday. surname please?
Subject + modal verb +verb Subject +modal verb + not + verb Modal verb + subject +verb
Could. Sometimes we use could to make suggestions and to be polite in the conversation. But we also use could to talk about what was possible in the past.
+ - ?
She could walk for a long You cannot eat before this Can I take your distances last year. procedure. temperature?
Subject + modal verb +verb Subject +modal verb + not + verb Modal verb + subject +verb
Should. We use should to give advice or an opinion to say we think something is the right or wrong thing to do. This form is used in present.
+ - ?
She should avoid stressful You shouldn’t walk a lot within Should he wear this situations. two weeks. bandage at home?
Subject + modal verb +verb Subject +modal verb + not + verb Modal verb + subject +verb
In the past tense we use should have + Participle II to refer to advice or an opinion about what we think was the right or wrong thing to do in the past.
Eg.: You should have cancelled your appointment at the clinic yesterday.
Must. We use must to provide strong recommendations and obligation. In negative form it has the meaning of prohibition. In past tense and to ask questions have/has to is usually used.
Eg.: She had to visit a dentist yesterday.
+ - ?
You must do it at once. You mustn’t read and watch TV for Does he have to do the test Subject + modal verb +verb some time after this procedure. again?
Subject +modal verb + not + verb Auxiliary verb + subject + modal verb + verb
Below there is an example of a dialogue between a nurse and a doctor telling a nurse how to treat the patient. The doctor can give her advice about the other symptoms she needs to check, or other questions she should ask. She can learn a great deal from these conversations.
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TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PATIENT Doctor: Tell me about your patient. Nurse: My patient is a 36 year-old man. He has severe pain in his back. The pain is continuous but lying down makes it better. Coughing makes it worse. He has taken herbal remedies at home but they have had no effect. Doctor: Did you ask him about his other symptoms? Nurse: No. Which follow up questions should I ask? Doctor: When you see the patient again, you need to check the following symptoms. - Check if there are any skin changes. - Ask the patient if he has experienced other sensations such as numbness. - Check if the patient has experienced nausea. - Check if the patient has experienced any problems with going to the toilet. - Check whether the patient is sleeping well. - Take the patient’s temperature. - Listen to the patient’s chest to check for respiratory problems. Nurse: Which is the best method for taking the patient’s |
The imperative
Modal verb should
The imperative The imperative The imperative The imperative The imperative The imperative The imperative
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temperature? Doctor: I suggest you use a digital thermometer. It’s more accurate than an ear thermometer and less dangerous than a glass thermometer. Your patient is an adult, so it will be fine to take the temperature from the mouth. A normal temperature is thirty seven point two Celsius for an adult, so if his temperature is thirty seven point eight degrees Celsius or higher, it’s likely the patient has a fever. Nurse: Can the patient take something to relieve the pain before his next appointment? Doctor: For now, I’ll write a prescription for 500mg of paracetamol. The patient will need to take one 500mg tablet every four-six hours for two days. If the patient has a fever, this should also help bring the temperature back to normal. Nurse: Should I check if he is allergic to any medication? Doctor: No, this will be checked by the pharmacist when the patient collects the medication. Nurse: When will the patient meet with you? Doctor: Ask the patient to make another appointment at reception. I can then check whether the paracetamol has been effective in helping to relieve the pain and whether the back pain is related to any other problems. |
Modal verb can
Modal verb should
The imperative
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Conditionals 1. We use this type of sentences for future situations that are possible, likely, or expected.
If - clause Main clause
If + any present form Future/Imperative
Can/must/should + bare infinitive
Present Simple
Eg.: You must not stop taking this medication. If the side effects are bothering you, call us right away so we can arrange something else.
And now I would like to summarize and draw conclusions of the article.
English is very important nowadays, because it gives medical students an opportunity not only to read special texts and watch scientific films about medicine, it also a means of communication and exchange of experience in an international professional environment.
Good knowledge of grammar rules and the ability to apply them in practice makes communication full.
It is difficult to study grammar of any foreign language. But if to study grammar sequentially from simple rules to more complex and apply these rules in situations of the medical environment, the learning process will be exciting and most effective.
In this article I described English grammar basics and showed situations when these rules can be used and how for medical student to start communicating faster and understand that grammar is a part of the language, which promotes communication.
References
1. Borisyuk E. Medical English: words, expressions, grammar [Electronic resource]: Yappi. – Access Mode:
URL: https://yappi.com.ua/posts/read/medical-english-slova-vyrazheniya-grammatika#a6 (date of application 03.04.2020).
2. English for Healthcare [Electronic resource]: Future Learn. – Access Mode:
URL: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/english-for-healthcare/1/todo/52635 (date of application 03.04.2020).
3. Learning English [Electronic resource]: BBC. – Access Mode:
URL: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/ (date of application 03.04.2020).
4. Question forms [Electronic resource]: ESOL. – Access Mode:
URL: https://esol.britishcouncil.org/content/learners/grammar-and-vocabulary/englishgrammar/question-forms (date of application 03.04.2020).
ENGLISH GRAMMAR FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS
Question word- + Auxiliary verb (be, do or have) +
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PATIENT
Subject + modal verb +verb
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PATIENT Doctor:
Doctor: I suggest you use a digital thermometer
References 1. Borisyuk
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