Parts of the Body — Unit 11, Pre-intermediate to Intermediate English
Head, limbs, organs, injuries, treatment — and talking to a doctor.
Reading: Match Day Injury
During a weekend football match, I slipped on wet grass and felt a sharp **pain** in my **ankle**. At first I tried to keep playing, but after a few minutes I also felt pressure in my **wrist** because I had fallen badly. Our coach, who has first-aid training, told me to sit down and stop moving. He said that if an **injury** gets worse, recovery can take much longer.
At the clinic, the nurse checked both areas and gave me basic **treatment**: rest, ice, and a light bandage. She explained that my ankle was strained, not broken, which was a relief. Because I start a new job next week, I worried about walking to work, but she taught me simple exercises that would protect the **joint** while it healed. Three days later, the pain was lower, and I understood why early care matters when body parts are weak after a fall. Because I followed the advice closely, I was able to walk comfortably by the weekend and return to light training later.
I was lucky, and I only understood how lucky about a month later.
A teammate of mine went down in almost the same place on the same pitch three weeks after me. He landed differently, on his outstretched **palm**, and he **fractured** his **wrist** in two places. He needed **surgery**, a metal plate, and eleven weeks in a **plaster** cast. He is still doing **physiotherapy** now.
The difference between a **sprain** and a **break** is not always obvious at the time. Ours looked identical from the touchline. He could still move his fingers and he insisted he was fine, which is exactly what I had said. The club now has a simple rule: if you cannot put weight on it or grip with it, you stop, whatever you think.
Our coach also made us all sit through a short first-aid session in November. I learned things I had been getting wrong for years. Ice should go on for twenty minutes, not two hours. Never put ice straight onto **skin**. Raise the injured part above the level of the **heart** if you can. Do not "walk it off" — that phrase has probably damaged more **joints** than the falls themselves.
My **ankle** is completely **healed** now. It aches slightly in cold weather, and my physiotherapist says that may continue for a year or so.
I still play. But I look at the grass before I run onto it.
Vocabulary from this unit
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| forehead | /ˈfɒrɪd/ | the top part of your face, above your eyes | He has a high forehead. |
| chin | /tʃɪn/ | the bottom part of your face | She has a pointed chin. |
| cheek | /tʃiːk/ | the soft part below your eye | She kissed him on the cheek. |
| jaw | /dʒɔː/ | the bone that moves when you eat | He broke his jaw in the accident. |
| eyebrow | /ˈaɪbraʊ/ | the line of hair above your eye | She has dark eyebrows. |
| eyelash | /ˈaɪlæʃ/ | the hairs on your eyelid | She has long eyelashes. |
| temple | /ˈtempəl/ | the flat part at the side of your head | He had a pain in his temple. |
| skull | /skʌl/ | the bone that covers your brain | The skull protects the brain. |
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| palm | /pɑːm/ | the inside part of your hand | She had a cut on her palm. |
| fist | /fɪst/ | a hand with fingers bent in | He clenched his fist in anger. |
| nail | /neɪl/ | the hard part at the end of a finger | She painted her nails red. |
| wrist | /rɪst/ | the joint between hand and arm | She wore a bracelet on her wrist. |
| hip | /hɪp/ | the wide part at the top of your leg | He broke his hip in the fall. |
| thigh | /θaɪ/ | the top part of your leg | She has strong thighs from cycling. |
| heel | /hiːl/ | the back part of your foot | I have a pain in my heel. |
| sole | /səʊl/ | the bottom flat part of your foot | The sole of my foot is sore. |
| joint | /dʒɔɪnt/ | where two bones meet | The joint in my knee is swollen. |
| muscle | /ˈmʌsəl/ | tissue that moves your body | I pulled a muscle in my back. |
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| brain | /breɪn/ | the organ that controls your thoughts | The brain is a very complex organ. |
| lungs | /lʌŋz/ | the organs you use to breathe | Smoking damages your lungs. |
| liver | /ˈlɪvə/ | the organ that cleans your blood | Alcohol can damage the liver. |
| kidneys | /ˈkɪdniz/ | the organs that clean your blood | The kidneys filter waste from the blood. |
| heart | /hɑːt/ | the organ that pumps blood | The heart is a very strong muscle. |
| bones | /bəʊnz/ | the hard parts inside your body | The human body has 206 bones. |
| spine | /spaɪn/ | the bones in your back | She injured her spine. |
| veins | /veɪnz/ | the tubes that carry blood to your heart | The veins carry blood around the body. |
| arteries | /ˈɑːtəriz/ | the tubes that carry blood away from your heart | The arteries take blood from the heart. |
3 more vocabulary sections in the full unit.
This is the free sample from this unit. The full unit adds 1 more reading passage, comprehension questions with an answer key, the listening exercises, flashcards for the vocabulary above, and a speaking task — with your progress tracked so the next unit unlocks when you are ready for it.
Common questions
What level is this unit?
Pre-intermediate to Intermediate — roughly CEFR A2–B1. If you are not sure of your level, the course places you with a short diagnostic before you start rather than making you guess.
Do I need to pay to use this?
The reading passage and vocabulary on this page are free to read. The rest of the unit — the remaining passages, the exercises, the listening, the answer key and the progress tracking — is part of the paid General English course.
Is this British or American English?
British English spelling and vocabulary, which is what most learners in Azerbaijan are taught and what IELTS expects, though both are accepted in the exam.