| abdomen | stomach, stomach area, belly, tummy |
| ability | skill |
| abolish | end, do away with, get rid of |
| abrasion | cut, scratch, scrape |
| absenteeism | missing work or school |
| absorption | take in, soak up |
| accelerate | hurry, speed up, make worse, make more severe |
| accessible | available, on hand, understandable, usable (handicapped) |
| accommodate | house, let stay with, give shelter, adjust, adapt |
| accompany | go with, take with (medicine) |
| accomplish | do, finish |
| accumulate | add up, gather, collect |
| accurate | true, right, correct |
| acellular vaccine | a vaccine that only contains part of the virus |
| Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome | AIDS; a disease that makes it hard for your body to fight diseases |
| active immunity | being able to fight off a specific disease once you have had that disease |
| acute | sudden start, short term, quick |
| additional | extra, added, more |
| adequate | enough, the right amount |
| adhere | stick, follow |
| adjacent | beside, next to, near, touching |
| adjuvant | something added to a vaccine to make it work better |
| administer | give, manage, take care of |
| adverse | event something bad that happens, bad reaction |
| adverse health effect | bad side effect, bad reaction |
| adverse | bad, dangerous, hurtful, harmful |
| advise | tell, warn, say |
| advocacy | support, fighting on behalf of, arguing for support |
| advocate | fight for, support, support person |
| aerobic exercise | exercise; slow and steady exercise like walking, running, biking, swimming, etc.; exercise that helps your heart stay healthy and work better; exercise that gets your heart pumping; exercise that makes you breath faster |
| aerobic | needs oxygen |
| aerosol | spray, mist |
| aggravate | make worse, harm, anger, hurt |
| aggregate | taken together, looked at all together, total, sum, combined |
| aggressive | pushy, dangerous, gets worse fast |
| airways | windpipe, breathing, tubes that take air in from the nose and mouth to the lungs, pathway from nose and mouth to lungs |
| alienate | push away, put by itself, turn away from, set apart |
| allergen | something like pollen that causes the body to react by sneezing or forming a rash |
| allergic | the body’s reaction to something, like pollen, resulting in sneezing, sniffling, a rash, etc. |
| allergist | doctor who treats allergies |
| allergy | reaction to certain things such as food or cloth or pollen, itch, rash, hives, breathing problem |
| alleviate | lessen, ease, soften, improve, make better |
| alopecia | hair loss, balding |
| alteration | change, shift, adjustment |
| alternate | take turns, one and then the other, rotate |
| alternative | option, another choice, other, different way, another option, different |
| alveoli | tiny air sacs in the lungs |
| amalgamate | put together, join, combine, unite |
| ambulate | walk, move around |
| ambulatory | can walk, mobile, able to move about, walking |
| ameliorate | make better, improve, lessen, ease |
| amend | change, change later on, adjust |
| amnesia | forgetfulness, memory loss, not being able to remember |
| anaerobic exercise | exercise, fast-burst exercise, muscle-building exercise like weight lifting |
| anaerobic | needs lack of oxygen |
| anaphylaxis | shock, a sudden and severe allergic reaction, stop breathing, poisoning |
| anemia | tired, low iron, a low blood count that can make you tired and short of breath |
| annual | yearly, every year, once every year, once a year, each year |
| annually | yearly, every year, once every year, once a year, each year |
| antibiotic | drug, medicine, drug that fights bacteria, infection fighting medicine, medicine that fights infection |
| antibody | your body’s way to fight off infections, infection fighting cells, cells that fight infection |
| antigen | germ, bacteria, virus, poison, something in your body that your body tries to fight off, something that helps your body fight disease |
| anti-inflammatory | a drug to reduce swelling, something that reduces swelling and pain, aspirin, cortisone, a drug that brings down the swelling |
| antiphospholipid antibody test | a test to see if you’re at risk for blood clots |
| antiviral | medicine, drug that fights viruses |
| anti-virus medicine | medicine, drug that fight viruses like the flu |
| anxiety | fear, worry |
| appellant | name, name of the person, you, person making an appeal |
| applicant | your name, name of the person, person who is applying |
| apply | use, put on, rub onto, sign up for |
| appreciate | thank, be grateful |
| appropriate | take, take over, a good fit, proper, right |
| approximate | about, guess, around, near, close |
| aptitude | ability, skill, gift, talent |
| arguably | maybe, perhaps, possibly, could be |
| arthralgia | pain, pain in your joints |
| arthritis | pain in joints; disease of the joints that causes swelling, pain, heat, and a sense of stiffness |
| ascertain | find, find out, learn, make certain |
| asphyxiate | choke, smother, suffocate |
| assess | review, sum up, evaluate, to determine value |
| assist | help, aid |
| association | group, relation, organization |
| asthma | disease, breathing disease; long term disease of swelling of the airways of the lungs; lung disease where you have trouble breathing; disease of lungs or respiratory system |
| asymptomatic infection | when you’re sick, but you don’t feel bad, no symptoms |
| asymptomatic | someone who is sick but does not feel or look sick |
| at the present time | now, right now |
| atherosclerosis | hardening of the arteries, clogged blood vessels |
| attack | violent start, suddenly overcome by a disease, begin to harm |
| attempt | try, effort |
| attenuated vaccine | vaccine, vaccine that has a weakened form of the virus in it |
| attire | clothes, clothing, to dress, wear |
| authentic | original, real, true, actual |
| authorize | allow, approve, give the power to |
| autism | brain disorder, illness that makes it hard for someone to talk to other people |
| autoimmune disease | disease that makes your body attack itself |
| autonomous | free, by itself, independent |
| avail | help, aid |
| available | on hand, at hand, ready, near-by, handy |
| avian flu | bird flu |
| avoid | do not |
| Source: CDC Plain Language Thesaurus for Health Communications. Other related materials: Vaccines & Immunizations Glossary; Harvard School of Public Health "Plain Language Glossaries" for asthma, arthritis, and lupus; Medical Library Association "Deciphering Medspeak" for diabetes, stroke, and HIV-AIDS |
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Exercises created by Atty. Gerry T. Galacio based on copyrighted materials available on the Internet. You can use these exercises only on a personal, educational, and non-commercial basis; you must not upload these exercises and resources to an intranet, to a website, or to the cloud. For comments, questions, or corrections, email gtgalacio@yahoo.com
Exercises created with freeware Hot Potatoes v. 6.3 from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.
Free seminar-workshops on English proficiency and on photojournalism for Metro Manila schools: email gtgalacio@yahoo.com or text 0927-798-3138
Family Matters (complete text of the Family Code of the Philippines; frequently asked questions; relevant laws like RA 9262; legal procedures and Rules of Court)
Legal Updates (in-depth discussions of issues affecting the Filipino family, legal procedures, support, inheritance, etc.): Plain Language / Plain English for government offices, private companies, schools, and organizations; Clear, concise English for effective legal writing; Legal procedures in civil and criminal cases; Heirs and inheritances |
Better English resources and exercises (free resources on grammar, pronunciation, spelling, writing, vocabulary, idioms, reading comprehension, public speaking, etc.); Related website: Interactive English grammar and vocabulary exercises based on Korean historical dramas such as A Jewel In The Palace, Dong Yi, Jumong, Empress Ki, Moonlight Drawn by Clouds (Love In The Moonlight), etc.
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