Strong and Weak Medical Advice

Strong and Weak Medical Advice- Discuss and Agree

Choose a medical problem like those on the next page and give your advice, making sure

you use suitable strong or weak language to match how sure you are, how important it is,

etc. See if your partner agrees with your advice (including how strong or weak it is),

discuss more if you like, and write down any statement that you can both agree on. If you

can’t agree, just do the same with your partner’s advice on a different situation. Continue

in the same way until your teacher stops you, only writing things that you both agree on.

Useful language for discussing the situations and advice
“That’s exactly what I would say”
“(I basically agree but) I would go further and say/ I wouldn’t go so far, I would say…”
“Do you think so? I think…”

Discuss some advice that you both agreed on as a class, then ask about any language

you don’t understand, situations you can’t think of advice for, etc.

First of all without any help, brainstorm ways of giving strong and weak positive and

negative advice, in order from the most positive top to the most negative bottom.

Strong positive advice

Strong negative advice

Use these mixed answers to help:

 you could/ don’t have to

 you must

 you mustn’t

 you probably shouldn’t

 you really must

 you really mustn’t

 you really should

 you really shouldn’t

 you should/ ought to

 you shouldn’t

Change partners. Give (positive and negative) advice on one of the situations below

without saying which one it is, continuing until your partner guesses the situation. Discuss

if they agree with your advice or not, the do the same with their choice of situation.

Continue taking turns giving advice hints and guessing until your teacher stops you.

p. 1

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2022

 During flu season

 For a hangover

 For bad breath

 For constipation

 For long life

 For problems with your ears

 For tiredness

 For toothache

 For your bones

 For your heart

 For your skin

 If someone in your house has…

 If you are depressed

 If you are fat/ obese

 If you are getting old

 If you are going bald/ losing your hair

 If you are stressed

 If you burn yourself

 If you don’t want to catch…

 If you get hay fever

 If you have a cold

 If you have a cough

 If you have a desk job

 If you have a fever

 If you have a headache

 If you have a sore throat

 If you have aching…

 If you have allergies

 If you have backache/ If you have lower back pain

 If you have broken a bone

 If you have chest pains

 If you have insomnia

 If you have lost your appetite

 If you have muscle pain

 If you have stiff shoulders

 If you have sunburn

 If you have twisted your ankle

 If you often feel tired

 If you often sneeze

 If you snore

 If you want big muscles

 If your … is bleeding

 If your … hurts/ If your … is painful

 If your stomach hurts

 When you play rugby

p. 2

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2022

you really must

you must

you really should

you should/ ought to

you could/ don’t have to

you probably shouldn’t

you shouldn’t

you really shouldn’t

you mustn’t

you really mustn’t

avoid…

bandage…

carry on…

clean/ wash

cover it with…

cut/ reduce/ limit…

do exercise

do stretches

drink alcohol

drink milk

drink…

get a massage

go on a diet

go to a drugstore

go to ER/ to…

have an injection

have an operation

hold/ squeeze…

increase…

jog

lie down

lie on the floor

listen to music

put something cold on…

rest (…)

rub…

see the doctor

sit down

stay in bed

stay still/ don’t move (…)

suck cough sweets

take medicine

take painkillers

take vitamins

use a cream/ ointment

wear a mask

(because…)

p. 3

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2022