Professional English
Cambridge English for
Nursing
Pre-intermediate
Grammar Practice
UNIT 1
Admitting a patient
Complete exercises 1a–f below. These exercises practise the following grammar
point:
●● Present simple
For help with the exercises, you can find a Grammar reference for Cambridge
English for Nursing Pre-intermediate at the following address www.cambridge.org/
elt/englishfornursing
1 a Look at these sentences that a nurse or patient might say. Complete the
sentences with the correct form of the word in brackets.
1 The bathroom is (be) outside on your left.
2 What (be) your date of birth, please?
3 Your hospital number (be) 463817.
4 I (be) here to do your admission Obs.
5 This tympanic thermometer (take) a patient’s temperature.
6 The machine (say) your blood pressure’s fine.
7 The other lead (read) the amount of oxygen in your blood.
8 Your daughter (weigh) 22 kilos.
9 (be) there anything else you need?
10 He (have) a slow pulse. It’s 56.
b Look at these sentences about activities in a hospital. Rewrite these positive
sentences in the negative so that they have the opposite meaning and underline
the changes.
1 The nurse has a lot of free time.
The nurse doesn’t have a lot of free time.
2 The nurse shows the patient round the ward.
3 The nurse gets the patient’s lunch.
4 The nurse is in a hurry.
5 Patients have to buy a present for the nurse.
c Look at these sentences that a nurse or patient might say. Rewrite these negative
sentences in the positive so that they have the opposite meaning and underline
the changes.
1 I don’t have to tell you about the nurse call.
I have to tell you about the nurse call.
2 We don’t check everything carefully.
3 The patient hasn’t got to hold out his arm.
4 The tympanic thermometer measures a patient’s blood pressure.
5 I’m not allergic to morphine.
1 Cambridge English for Nursing Cambridge University Press 2010 Photocopiable
www.cambridge.org/elt/englishfornursing
UNIT 1 Admitting a patient Grammar practice
d A nurse is asking questions to a patient or the parent of a young patient. Correct
the mistakes in the nurse’s questions and underline the changes.
1 You need help to walk to the bathroom?
Do you need help to walk to the bathroom ?
2 Are you know about the nurse call?
?
3 You’ve got an ID bracelet on.
?
4 I can look at your ID bracelet, please?
?
5 You can tell me your full name, please?
?
6 You have any allergies?
?
7 Your daughter has eight years?
?
8 Is OK?
?
9 You can show to me your arm, please?
?
10 You ready to see the doctor?
?
e Here are some questions a patient might ask a nurse. Put the words in the
correct order to make questions.
1 normal / my / are / readings
Are my readings normal ?
2 all / pulse / is / my / right
?
3 to / need / have / an / do / injection / I
?
4 say / does / what / it
?
5 much / I / how / weigh / do
?
f Read the text about part of a nurse’s daily routine. Rewrite the text changing I to
he and underline the changes.
I take Obs very often. I always follow the same procedure. First, I weigh the patient
and write the weight on the chart. Then I take the patient’s temperature. I use a
tympanic thermometer. I ask the patient to turn his or her head and I have to wait
for the beep. Next, I put the blood pressure cuff on and check the patient’s blood
pressure and pulse. I also clip a lead onto the patient’s finger to measure his or her
oxygen sats. I count the patient’s respirations, and note them down on the chart too.
I’m very quick because I do the same thing every day.
He takes Obs very often. He always …
Extension
Write about something you have to do often. Use the text in Exercise 1f as a
model.
2 Cambridge English for Nursing Cambridge University Press 2010 Photocopiable
www.cambridge.org/elt/englishfornursing
