The flu. Speaking exercise

The flu

In this lesson we will be talking about illnesses in English, specifically the flu and colds, and looking at the use of for and since.

 

"The best thing about getting a flu shot is that you never again need to wash your hands. That's how I see it".
— Chuck Palahniuk

Coughs, headaches, a fever and an aching body are all symptoms of the flu, and are all signs that it is going to be a long, hard winter for you!! However, we are lucky that we live in an age where vaccines are relatively cheap and easy to get. Of course, the flu still kills people every year (mainly the elderly and very young), but before vaccines were readily available, it was a much more common killer.

Before we get started, here is a list of vocabulary that will help you talk about flu and colds with your native English-speaking teacher in your conversation classes via Skype.

Woman sneezing

English vocabulary related to the flu and colds

First, here is a list of symptoms typical of the flu and colds:

• Cough
• Aching body
• Congestion
• Runny nose
• Sneeze
• Shivering
• Chills
• High temperature 
• Fever
• Headache

And here is some other general vocabulary related to the topic:

• Joints 
• Vaccination / Vaccine
• Flu shot / Flu Jab
• Social contact
• Spread
• Deadly
• Contagious
• Catch
• To come down with and illness
• Hazard

Grammar to use in your online English conversation class: For v Since

FOR:
We use for when talking about a period of time (e.g. 2 minutes / 5 hours / 9 days / 12 months / a long time / the holidays)

We use for with all tenses:

• I lived in France for 10 months
• I would like to travel the world for a year
• I was waiting for you for 10 minutes.
• I will stay at the Hilton for 3 days.
• I have been studying English for 20 years.

SINCE:
We use since when talking about a moment (e.g. 10:00 / Tuesday / 17th March / 1999 / I left school / I arrived)

Important: We only use since with perfect tenses:

• Present perfect: I have known Veronica since 2001…
• Past perfect:  …I had known her father since I was born.
• Present perfect continuous: I have been studying English since I was a child.
• Past perfect continuous: I had been working on that project since I left my last job.

Typical mistake: using since with tenses other than perfect tenses is incorrect! For example:

     X I am living here since 3 months.
     X I am living here since 3 months ago.
     √ I have been living here since 3 months ago / for 3 months.

     X I know her since a long time.
     X I know her since a long time ago.
     √ I have known her since a long time ago / for a long time.
 

Useful verb forms:

• spread - spread - spread
• feel - felt - felt
• catch - caught - caught

Common mistake:

X I was a cold
√ I HAD A a cold

False friend!!
X Laura is constipated
√ Laura has is bunged up / Laura has a cold.

(If you are ‘constipated’, it means you have difficulty going to the toilet!!!)

Common pronunciation problems:

• Cough /‘kɒf/
• Temperature  /‘temprətʃə/  (3 syllables!)
• Caught  /'kɔ:t/

​

Get your flu shots

Questions we will discuss in your online English conversation class:

• When was the last time you had the flu?
• What are the symptoms of the flu?
• What type of treatment would you recommend to a person who has the flu?
• Do you have a flu jab every year?
• Do you know anyone who does have a flu jab every year?
• Should vaccination be made compulsory?
• Do you have children? Have you vaccinated them?​
   
• Are trends of not vaccinating children dangerous?
• Can an outbreak of flu at school caused by parents not vaccinating their children be considered ‘irresponsible’? 
• Should parents be made to vaccinate children?
• Are you prone to catching colds? 
• Is it irresponsible to go to work ill?
• When was the last time you were on sick leave?
• What do you take when you have a cold or the flu?
• Who looks after you when you're ill?
  ​

Practice reading and listening before speaking with your native English-speaking teacher:

This article explains the flu pandemic that hit the world in 1918, killing more people than World War I. 

“Every year, flu viruses make people sick. Even a garden-variety flu may kill people, but usually only the very young or the very old. In 1918, the flu mutated into something much more virulent…” Read more…

The pandemic was known as Spanish Flu, as more than 8 million people were killed in Spain alone. This short, informative video looks at the Spanish Flue, 100 years after the pandemic:

Speaking practice:

Now book your online English conversation class with one of our native English-speaking teachers to put into practice what you’ve learned in this lesson.

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