ache

The Christmas holidays can bring a multiple of medical disorders, in other words, headaches from drinking too much. Describing a medical condition can be difficult for non-native English speakers, especially using the word ache. For example, we say “I have an earache/a toothache/a stomachache/a headache.”
Sometimes my students use the word pain instead of ache such as “I have a head pain.“, which although understandable is not correct. In this case, remove the article and say “I have head pain.”

The word ache isn’t used to describe everything wrong with the body. For example, you do not say “She has a throat ache.” Instead we say “She has a sore throat.”

Additionally, we say “My muscles are sore.” or “I have sore muscles.” or “I have muscle pain.” but not “I have a muscle ache.”

Your eyes are like muscles, so we say “My eyes are sore.” or “I have sore eyes.” or “I have eye pain.” but not “I have an eye ache.”

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Jun

16

temperature/fever

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One of my students said to me the other day, “My temperature has not gone up.” What the student really meant was “I have no temperature.” In Japanese, netsu ga arimasen 熱がありません。You could also say, “I have no fever.”
If you go to a docter, the docter might ask you “Do you have a temperature?” netsu ga arimasu ka 熱がありますか。If your body temperature is over 98.6 degrees farenheight (F) or 36 degrees celsius (C), then you are consider to have a temperature (or a fever).
You can abreviate the word temperature with temp.

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