BBC World Service | Learning English | The Flatmates

Note: All of these aches except headache are usually uncountable in British English so you don't use a or an with them. In American English, all these aches are countable so you use a or an with them.


My leg	hurts
Her ankle
His stomach	aches
Everything
His stomach
My toes	hurt
His hands	ache


I've got		arm
She' got	a sore	leg
He's got		toe
You've got		head


I feel		my leg
She's got	a pain in	her stomach
He has		his toe


I feel	ill
He feels	awful
I'm	sick
She's	unwell
We're	not well

Morning, campers! (informal greeting to more than one person):
Good morning!

My head's killing me (idiom):
I've got a very bad headache

a hangover (n):
a headache from drinking a lot of alcohol

a fry-up (n, informal):
a meal made of fried foods (fried egg, mushrooms, bacon etc.)

to burn the midnight oil (idiom):
to study or work until late at night

Who's for...? (offer, informal):
Who wants...?

You're a pain in the neck (idiom):
You're very annoying

The Flatmates

Illness

You can use have got + ache (when it forms part of a compound noun) with only 5 parts of the body:

You can use hurt/ache (verb) with any part of the body:

You can use sore (adjective) with any part of the body:

You can use pain (noun) with any part of the body:

You can use be or feel + ill/sick/unwell (adjective) or
feel + awful (adjective) to talk about your health in general:

Vocabulary:

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