A2 · Elementary · Health · 145 words · ~2 min read

🩺 At the London Doctor’s Surgery

Language focus: Present Perfect · since / for · should

Before you read

The whole story turns on two small words: for and since. They both measure time with the present perfect, but they measure different things, and choosing wrongly is one of the clearest A2 errors. Watch every time either appears.

Daniel has not felt well for three days. He has made an appointment at his local doctor’s surgery in London.

“What are your symptoms?” the doctor asks. “I have had a high temperature since Monday, and I feel dizzy,” Daniel says. “I think I have come down with the flu.”

“You should rest and drink plenty of water,” the doctor says. “Lie down when you feel dizzy, and take a painkiller for the headache.”

She writes a prescription and smiles. “You will get over it soon. You should recover in a few days.”

Daniel has not been to a doctor since he moved to London two years ago. He has always been healthy, so the flu has come as a surprise.

Three days later he feels much better. He has taken the painkillers, he has slept a lot, and his temperature has finally gone down.

Key vocabulary (8 words)

symptomnoun: A sign that shows you are ill.
appointmentnoun: An arranged time to meet someone.
prescriptionnoun: A doctor’s note that lets you get medicine.
dizzyadjective: Feeling that everything is spinning and you might fall.
painkillernoun: Medicine that takes away pain.
surgerynoun: The place where a local doctor sees patients (UK).
temperaturenoun: How hot or cold your body is.
recoververb: To become healthy again after being ill.

Phrasal verbs in this story

come down with — To come down with an illness means to start to become ill with it.
get over — To get over an illness means to recover from it.
lie down — To lie down means to rest in a flat, horizontal position.

The grammar in this story

for a length of time, since a starting point

“Daniel has not felt well for three days.” “I have had a high temperature since Monday.” For takes a duration — three days, two years, a long time. Since takes the moment it began — Monday, 2019, I moved here. They are not interchangeable: since three days is wrong.

Why the present perfect and not the past simple

Daniel is still ill as he speaks, which is why the sentence has to be I have had a temperature since Monday. I had a temperature on Monday would mean it is over. The present perfect is what carries a past event forward into the present moment.

should for medical advice

“You should rest and drink plenty of water.” “You should recover in a few days.” The same modal does two jobs here: giving advice, and making a confident prediction. Both take the bare base verb, and neither changes with the subject.

come down with, get over, lie down

Three phrasal verbs that appear constantly in health English. Come down with = start to have an illness. Get over = recover from it. Lie down = put your body flat. Only the first needs a second particle, and none of them can be split by an object except get over in careful speech.

Phrases you can reuse today

I have had a headache since this morning.: Since plus a starting point.
I haven’t felt well for three days.: For plus a duration.
I think I’ve come down with something.: The natural, slightly vague way to say you are getting ill.
You should get over it in a few days.: Get over = recover from an illness.

Comprehension quiz

Where does Daniel go?
- The doctor’s surgery
- A restaurant
- The airport
Show answer
The doctor’s surgery
How long has he felt unwell?
- For three days
- For a year
- For an hour
Show answer
For three days
How does Daniel feel?
- Dizzy with a high temperature
- Happy and strong
- Hungry
Show answer
Dizzy with a high temperature
“I have come down with the flu” means he has…
- become ill
- recovered
- travelled
Show answer
become ill
What does the doctor advise?
- Rest and drink water
- Run a marathon
- Eat more sweets
Show answer
Rest and drink water
“Get over it” means to…
- recover
- forget a person
- climb something
Show answer
recover

Now use it yourself

Reading builds recognition; writing your own sentences is what turns it into something you can actually say. Three short tasks:

Write three sentences about your life using for, then three using since.
Describe a time you were ill. Which sentences need the past simple and which the present perfect?
What should someone do when they have a cold? Give three pieces of advice.