Emergency and health phrases

Emergency and Health Phrases for English Learners

Learning essential emergency and health phrases in English is crucial for effective communication during critical situations. This guide provides comprehensive explanations, examples, and exercises to help you master these phrases.

1. Common Emergency Phrases

Help!

• Meaning: A general cry for assistance in urgent situations.
• Examples:
  • “Help! My friend is drowning!”
  • “Help! There’s been an accident!”
  • “Help! Someone stole my bag!”

Call an ambulance!

• Meaning: Request for emergency medical transport.
• Examples:
  • “Call an ambulance! My father collapsed!”
  • “Quick, call an ambulance! She’s not breathing!”
  • “We need to call an ambulance immediately!”

2. Medical Assistance Phrases

I need a doctor.

• Meaning: Request for professional medical help.
• Examples:
  • “I need a doctor – I think I broke my arm.”
  • “She needs a doctor right away!”
  • “Where can I find a doctor? I feel very sick.”

Where is the nearest hospital?

• Meaning: Asking for directions to medical facilities.
• Examples:
  • “Excuse me, where is the nearest hospital?”
  • “Can you tell me where the nearest hospital is?”
  • “We need to get to the nearest hospital quickly!”

3. Pain and Symptoms Description

I have a pain in my [body part].

• Meaning: Describing location of physical discomfort.
• Examples:
  • “I have a pain in my chest.”
  • “She has a pain in her stomach.”
  • “He’s complaining of pain in his back.”

I feel dizzy/nauseous/feverish.

• Meaning: Describing common symptoms.
• Examples:
  • “I feel dizzy and can’t stand properly.”
  • “She says she feels nauseous after eating.”
  • “He looks feverish – we should check his temperature.”

4. Emergency Services Communication

Phrase	Meaning	Example
What’s the emergency?	Standard operator question	“What’s the emergency?” “There’s a fire in my building!”
Stay calm and describe the situation.	Operator instruction	“Stay calm and describe the situation.” “Okay, there’s been a car crash…”
We’re sending help now.	Operator response	“We’re sending help now. Stay on the line.”

5. First Aid Phrases

• Apply pressure to the wound.
  • “Quick, apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding!”
  • “The nurse applied pressure to the wound with a clean cloth.”
  • “Keep applying pressure until help arrives.”
• Do you know CPR?
  • “Does anyone here know CPR? This man isn’t breathing!”
  • “I took a course and know basic CPR.”
  • “Call 911 and ask if they know CPR instructions.”

Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks

1. “_____! There’s a fire in the kitchen!”
2. “I need to see a doctor. I have a terrible pain in my _____.”
3. “_____ an ambulance! He’s having a heart attack!”

Exercise 2: Match the phrases

1. I feel nauseous	A. Request for medical transport
2. Call an ambulance	B. Description of symptom
3. Apply pressure	C. First aid instruction

Exercise 3: Create dialogues

Create a short dialogue (4-6 lines) using at least three emergency phrases between a patient and a doctor/nurse.

Answer Key

Exercise 1 Answers:

1. Help
2. back/stomach/chest (any appropriate body part)
3. Call

Exercise 2 Answers:

• 1-B
• 2-A
• 3-C

Exercise 3 Sample Answer:

Nurse: “What seems to be the problem?”
Patient: “I have a terrible pain in my chest and feel dizzy.”
Nurse: “Let me call a doctor immediately. Try to stay calm.”
Patient: “Thank you. I think I need help quickly.”