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BEING ILL-2

28 / 05 / 2004

BEING ILL-2: meaning and examples

Good morning,

Thanks for all your kind e-mails. I was a bit ill yesterday, but it was nothing serious. I already feel better.

Today we continue with expressions related to being ill. Yesterday I received some questions, so I'll start by answering one of them.

The difference between sick and ill
Both of these words mean "enfermo", but ill is more common in the UK and sick is more common in the US. However, there is lots of variation.

Be sick and get sick can also refer to vomiting, especially in the UK. When you vomit, food that you have eaten suddenly comes out of your stomach through your mouth.

Example 1
Something I ate at lunch is making me feel ill. I think I'm going to be sick.

There are other more colloquial synonyms of vomit or get sick:
-Throw up
-Barf

Example 2
Something I ate at lunch is making me feel ill. I think I'm going to throw up.

Example 3
Something I ate at lunch is making me feel sick (US). I think I'm going to barf.

Example 2 and Example 3 are a little more informal, especially Example 3.

I'm glad that I was ill yesterday because I now see that this is a very important vocabulary area to cover. On Monday we will continue with expression related to being ill.

If you have questions about today's Daily Vitamin, you can always leave a comment. I'm feeling better, so it will be no problem for me to answer you.

Enjoy the rest of your day and have an excellent LONG weekend!

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