This must be
her house. I can see her car in the garage.
He must live near here because he always walks to work.
Come inside and get warm. You must be freezing out there!
We use must when
we feel sure that something is true or it's the only realistic probability.
might, may, could
She's not
here yet. She might be stuck in traffic.
He's not answering. He could be in class.
We regret to inform you that some services may be delayed due to the bad
weather.
They all have
the same meaning, but may is more formal than might and could.
We use might, may or could to
say that we think something is possible but we're not sure.
can't
It can't be
far now. We've been driving for hours.
She can't know about the complaint. She's promoted him to team leader.
It can't be easy for him, looking after three kids on his own.
We use can't when
we feel sure that something is improbable.
Collaborative Online Exercise about modal verbs of speculation and deduction
Nurse: Good morning, this is _________. This is Nurse _______ ______. How can I help you?
Patient: Good morning. I’d like to make an appointment with _______, please.
Nurse: Sure, may I have your name, please?
Patient: Yes, my name is _______.
Nurse: Thank you, _________. Let me check ______ schedule. Please (2)_____for a moment.
Patient: Okay, I’ll (2)_____.
Nurse: Thank you for waiting. ___________ has an opening _______at _______. Does that work for you?
Patient: Yes, that’s perfect. Actually, can I also have the ______ number of the billing department?
Nurse: Of course! The _____ is_______.
Patient: Can you _______ to the billing department?
Nurse: It'll be a pleasure.
Patient: I will appreciate it.
Nurse: Can I help you with anything else?
Patient: No, thank you. If I need anything else, I’ll call back.
Nurse: You’re welcome, _______. Have a good day!
Exercise f on page 34
Phone
Conversation Between a Nurse and a Caller
Nurse: Good
afternoon, this is St. Mary's Hospital, Nurse Helen
speaking. How may I help you?
Caller:
Hello, Nurse Helen. My name is John Miller. I'm
calling to get some information about my sister, Emily Miller,
who was admitted yesterday.
Nurse:
Hi, Mr. Miller. I understand you're concerned, but unfortunately,
I can't provide any specific information about our patients over the phone due
to privacy regulations.
Caller:
Oh, I see. That makes sense. Is there any other way I can get an update?
Nurse:
I’d recommend giving Emily a call directly to check on her. She
should be able to share any information she's comfortable with.
Caller:
Alright, thank you, Nurse Helen. I appreciate the help.
Nurse:
No problem, Mr. Miller. Let me check the extension number for Emily’s
room. [A short pause] Okay, please hold while I put you through to her
room.
Caller:
Thank you, Nurse Helen.
Nurse:
You're welcome. Connecting you now.
Caller:
Thanks again!
Phone
Conversation Between a Nurse and a Caller
Nurse: Good
afternoon, this is _______ Hospital, Nurse _______
speaking. How may I help you?
Caller:
Hello, Nurse _______. My name is _______. I'm
calling to get some information about my _______, who was
admitted _______.
Nurse:
Hi, _______. I understand you're concerned, but unfortunately, I
can't provide any specific information about our patients over the phone due to
privacy regulations.
Caller:
Oh, I see. That makes sense. Is there any other way I can get an update?
Nurse:
I’d recommend giving _______ a call directly to check on her. She
should be able to share any information she's comfortable with.
Caller:
Alright, thank you, Nurse _______. I appreciate the help.
Nurse:
No problem, _______. Let me check the extension number for _______’s
room. [A short pause] Okay, please hold while I put you through to _______
room.
Pain is a
complex sensation that can be categorized into various types, each with its
unique characteristics. Tingling often feels like a "pins and
needles" sensation, typically associated with nerve compression or damage.
It can be momentary or chronic, depending on the underlying issue.
Sharp
pain is intense and sudden, often indicating acute injury or illness. This type
of pain can be localized and is usually severe enough to prompt immediate
attention. In contrast, stabbing pain feels piercing and can occur in
specific areas, such as the chest or abdomen, often linked to conditions like
appendicitis or angina.
Other forms
include aching, which is a dull, persistent discomfort often related to
muscle strain or fatigue, and burning pain, characterized by a searing
sensation associated with nerve damage.
Finally, throbbing
pain has a rhythmic quality and is commonly experienced during migraines or
other vascular conditions, affecting the overall quality of life.
Pain relief has
evolved significantly over the centuries. Early methods included acupuncture, a
traditional Chinese practice using needles to stimulate specific points on the
body, believed to balance energy and alleviate pain. Aromatherapy utilizes essential
oils for therapeutic effects, promoting relaxation and reducing discomfort.
Heat packs have
long been used to soothe sore muscles, while massage therapy, an ancient
technique, helps relieve tension and enhance circulation. The term analgesia
refers to the absence of pain, achieved through various means, including
medications.
In modern
medicine, a syringe driver administers continuous doses of pain relief
medications, ensuring consistent management for chronic pain sufferers.
Together, these methods highlight the rich history and diverse approaches to
alleviating pain throughout time.
Modal verbs can, could, may, might, must and have to to talk about abilities, speculations, deductions and obligations; ask for permission, and make requests
Modal Verb
Function or use
Example
Can
Present abilities
I can speak English.
Present permission
Can I go to the loo?
Present possibility or speculation
My mother can get back home at any time.
Could
Its negative couldn’t is used for the opposite sense in the possible cases.
Past ability
I could rollerskate when I was 12.
Past Permission
They could spend what it was allowed according to their budget.
Present or past possibility
They could go to the cinema.
Present request
Could you bring me a cup of tea?
May
Present permission
May I come in?
Present possibility or speculation
It may rain today because of the gray clouds.
Might
Present possibility or speculation
It might rain today.
Must
Present probability or deduction.
Studying nursing must be tough
Present weak or imposed obligation by the speaker
You must attend all your English lessons.
Can’t
Present strong restriction
You can’t smoke at school.
Present negative probability or strong deduction.
It can’t be real what is shown in the Mexican soap operas.
Mustn’t
Present weak restriction
You mustn’t use your mobile when the teacher is explaining.
Present negative probability or weak deduction.
Susan mustn’t be at home because it’s her work time.
Have to
Present strong or non-imposed obligation by the speaker.
You have to attend at least the 80% of the period lessons.
Probability and deduction: They mean we are sure or certain about something.
Possibility and speculation: They mean we are unsure or uncertain about something.
Collaborative online exercise about the use of the modal verbs can, could, may, and might
Silvia Pinal, the iconic Mexican actress, has made headlines by expressing her desire to be the first person in Mexico to undergo euthanasia. Citing her struggles with health and the challenges of aging, Pinal advocates for personal autonomy and the right to die with dignity. Her request has ignited a national debate on euthanasia, a contentious issue in Mexico, where legal frameworks vary by state. Supporters view her case as a pivotal moment for reform, while opponents raise ethical concerns. Pinal’s courageous stance underscores the urgent need for compassionate policies regarding end-of-life choices in the country.
Individual online exercise about the use of the modal verbs can, could, may, and might
Write in teams at least 8 guidelines using the modal verbs when talking to a terminally ill patient who has... before going to a treatment or therapy. Don't forget to include the disease and the treatment or therapy.
What do you think that is the difference between hospital and hospice?
Video about what is hospice care
In accordance with the BMJ (British Medical Journal), traditional medicine distinguishes between sickness that is curable and sickness that is incurable. A curable sickness is treated in a hospital with curative care; while an incurable sickness is treated in a hospice with palliative care. For example, a curable sickness, such as pneumonia, is treated in a hospital with antibiotics, fluids, and bed rest; while an incurable sickness, such as metastatic cancer, is treated in a hospice with pain medicine and tranquilizers, but no anti-cancer drugs. Curative care is designed to fight sickness, while palliative care is designed to make patients more comfortable. This distinction between curative care and palliative care is somewhat misleading, because both rely on pharmaceuticals, and both ignore the relationship between diet and health. Regardless of whether a sickness is curable or incurable, physicians must promote health and not simply treat symptoms with pharmaceuticals.
The terms illness and sickness are both generally used as synonyms for disease; however, the term illness is occasionally used to refer specifically to the patient's personal experience of his or her disease. In this model, it is possible for a person to have a disease without being ill (to have an objectively definable, but asymptomatic, medical condition, such as a subclinical infection, or to have a clinically apparent physical impairment but not feel sick or distressed by it), and to be ill without being diseased (such as when a person perceives a normal experience as a medical condition, or medicalizes a non-disease situation in his or her life – for example, a person who feels unwell as a result of embarrassment, and who interprets those feelings as sickness rather than normal emotions). Symptoms of illness are often not directly the result of infection, but a collection of evolved responses – sickness behaviour by the body – that helps clear infection and promote recovery. Such aspects of illness can include lethargy, depression, loss of appetite, sleepiness, hyperalgesia, and inability to concentrate.
The term disease broadly refers to any condition that impairs the normal functioning of the body. For this reason, diseases are associated with the dysfunction of the body's normal homeostatic processes. Commonly, the term is used to refer specifically to infectious diseases, which are clinically evident diseases that result from the presence of pathogenic microbial agents, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multicellular organisms, and aberrant proteins known as prions. An infection or colonization that does not and will not produce clinically evident impairment of normal functioning, such as the presence of the normal bacteria and yeasts in the gut, or of a passenger virus is not considered a disease. By contrast, an infection that is asymptomatic during its incubation period, but expected to produce symptoms later, is usually considered a disease. Non infectious diseases are all other diseases, including most forms of cancer, heart disease, and genetic disease
1.- Acquired disease.- It is one that began at some point during one's lifetime, as opposed to disease that was already present at birth, which is congenital disease. Acquired sounds like it could mean "caught via contagion", but it simply means acquired sometime after birth. It also sounds like it could imply secondary disease, but acquired disease can be primary disease.
2.- Acute disease.- It is one of a short-term nature; the term sometimes also connotes a fulminant nature
3.- Chronic condition or chronic disease.- It is one that persists over time, often characterized as at least six months but may also include illnesses that are expected to last for the entirety of one's natural life.
5.- Genetic disease.- It is caused by one or more genetic mutations. It is often inherited, but some mutations are random and de novo.
6.- Hereditary or inherited disease.- It is a type of genetic disease caused by genetic mutations that are hereditary (and can run in families)
7.- Iatrogenic disease.- It is one that is caused by medical intervention, whether as a side effect of a treatment or as an inadvertent outcome.
8.- Idiopathic disease.- It has an unknown cause or source. As medical science has advanced, many diseases with entirely unknown causes have had some aspects of their sources explained and therefore shed their idiopathic status. For example, when germs were discovered, it became known that they were a cause of infection, but particular germs and diseases had not been linked.
9.- Incurable disease.- A disease that cannot be cured. Incurable diseases are not necessarily terminal illnesses, and sometimes a disease's symptoms can be treated sufficiently for the disease to have little or no impact on quality of life.
10.- Primary disease.- It is a disease that is due to a root cause of illness, as opposed to secondary disease, which is a sequela, or complication that is caused by the primary disease. For example, a common cold is a primary disease, where rhinitis is a possible secondary disease, or sequela. A doctor must determine what primary disease, a cold or bacterial infection, is causing a patient's secondary rhinitis when deciding whether or not to prescribe antibiotics.
11.- Secondary disease.- It is a disease that is a sequela or complication of a prior, causal disease, which is referred to as the primary disease or simply the underlying cause (root cause). For example, a bacterial infection can be primary, wherein a healthy person is exposed to a bacteria and becomes infected, or it can be secondary to a primary cause, that predisposes the body to infection.
12.- Terminal disease.- A terminal disease is one that is expected to have the inevitable result of death. Previously, AIDS was a terminal disease; it is now incurable, but can be managed indefinitely using medications.
