Everyday Grammar TV: Lesson on Illnesses, Part 2

John: Hi Faith! How are you feeling today? You look much better! Faith: I’m feeling better, but yesterday, I still had a stomachache. And then this morning I cut my finger with a knife! John: Oh, you are still having a rough time. You reminded me of other ways we can talk about illnesses: with verbs like “have” and descriptive verbs like “cut.” Faith: Another way to express symptoms is to use a personal pronoun like “I” as the subject and “have” with the illness or symptom. I have a stomachache. She had had a sore throat all weekend. Faith: “To have a stomachache” has several meanings. It could be that you are experiencing a dull pain in your stomach. It could also be that you feel nauseous. John: We can also use descriptive verbs to say the action has occurred on or to a part of the body. Verbs like “hurt,” “cut,” “scrape” and “injure” are used with subjects and the affected part of the body as the direct object. Faith: Subject + specific verb (cut, hurt, scrape) + body part. I cut my finger. Amanda bruised her knee. John: Now it’s time for a quiz! Faith: What is one meaning of “having a stomachache?” John: It could mean that you are having dull pain or are nauseous. John: And that’s Everyday Grammar TV!