Woman: A tablet
Man: A tablet is sometimes called a pill such as aspirin. It is a small amount of medicine in solid form that you swallow.
For example:
Woman: What are you taking for your cold?
Man: I’ve just taken 2 more aspirins.
Woman: I think you need to go to bed, and sleep, so they work better.

Woman: A painkiller
Man: This is a medicine used for reducing pain. A pain is the sudden sharp unpleasant feeling you have when a part of your body has been hurt or when you are ill.
Listen to this short conversation:
Man: Hello, I hurt my arm playing football, and I keep on getting sharp pains in my arm.
Woman: Let me see your arm please.
Woman: Well, I don’t think you’ve broken it. You need some painkillers. Take 2 of these every 4 hours, and if it’s not gone within 48 hours, come back and see me again.
Man: Thank you.

Woman: Cough mixture
Man: This is a syrup taken to reduce a cough. A cough means to send air out of your throat and mouth, with a sudden loud noise, especially when you have a cold.
Listen to this:
Woman: Will you please take some cough mixture for that cough? It is getting worse.
Man: I think I need to. Do we have any? Or will you go to the chemist’s and get some more?

Woman: A plaster
Man: This is a small piece of sticky material with a cotton centre that is used to cover a cut etc. on the body. In American English it is called a band-aid.
Listen to this:
Woman: Ouch! I’ve cut my finger. Do we have any plasters?
Man: Yes, they’re here. Let me help you. Ooh that’s a nasty cut, sit down and let me clean it up first before I put the plaster on it.

Woman: If it is a plural noun ending in “s”, we just add an apostrophe at the end of the word.
For example:
Man: The girls’ bedroom, not the bedroom of the girls.
Woman: The books’ covers, not the covers of the books.
Man: The dogs’ food, not the food of the dogs.

Woman: However if a plural noun does not end in “s”, such as women and people, we add apostrophe + “s” to indicate possession.
Now listen to these examples:
Man: The people’s republic.
Woman: Women’s clothes.
Man: A children’s book

Woman: Now let’s listen carefully to how this couple use the Genitive.
Woman: Remember we are going to the Smith’s next Saturday.
Man: Who?
Woman: The Smith’s, you know Mr and Mrs Smith, Tom and Sue.
Man: Aah I remember now, but, it’s 3 days away.
Woman: Yes, but it’s Sue’s birthday, so we need to buy her a present.
Man: What are you going to buy?
Woman: Excuse me, have you heard of women’s liberation? Why should I buy everything? I think it’s your turn.
Man: But, I bought Tom’s present last time.
Woman: I know, and he loved it, that’s why you are doing it again.
Man: Mmm, have you heard of men’s liberation and equality?
Woman: No, it doesn’t exist.
Man: Well I’ll go shopping again, just this once, but, remember next time it’s your turn.
Woman: OK.

Woman: To touch a sore spot
Man: Sore is an adjective to describe a painful part of the body, especially when touched. But, the idiom to “touch a sore spot” means to talk about a subject that is likely to make somebody upset or angry when mentioned.
Now listen to this example:
Woman: I saw Sue earlier, has she got her promotion yet?
Man: No, don’t mention it to her, you’ll be touching a sore spot.
Woman: OK, I was only asking.

Woman: To sweeten the pill
Man: “Sweeten,” is a verb that means to make something sweet by adding sugar. “A pill” is a noun that means a small round piece of medicine, like an aspirin.
However, “to sweeten the pill,” is an idiom, that means to try and make it easier for somebody to receive bad news or an unpleasant situation.
Listen to this short conversation:
Woman: Do you love me?
Man: Of course my dear.
Woman: For better or for worse....?
Man: Yes, why? What’s happened? You’re sweetening the pill for something, I know you.
Woman: Well it wasn’t my fault, but you know the new car you bought me.
Man: Don’t tell me you’ve had another crash? Let me see it….

Woman: A bitter pill to swallow.
Man: This is similar to another idiom “hard to swallow.”
“To swallow” is a verb that means to make food, drink etc. go down in your throat to your stomach. However, this idiom means that it “is a difficult or unpleasant situation to accept, believe or digest.
Listen to this:
Woman: Can you believe that Sara has left John, and has already moved in with Tom?
Man: I know, I can’t believe it. I saw John yesterday, he looked really depressed and angry, he said it was a bitter pill to swallow, as things had moved so fast.
Woman: Poor guy, he had no idea what was going on.

Woman: E-pharmacies
Man: A pharmacy is a shop where medicines are prepared and sold. An e-pharmacy is a company that operates on the internet, selling medicines which are often illegal or controlled by doctors in many countries.
Listen to this short conversation:
Woman: What are you doing on the computer now?
Man: I’m surfing the internet to find a good e-pharmacy that specialises in hair loss.
Woman: Are you sure that’s safe, wouldn’t you be better going to a doctor or a hair clinic?
Man: I’m just looking at what’s available, I didn’t say I was going to buy anything.

Woman: Drugs.
Man: Although drugs are often referred to as illegal substances, it is American English for medicine. N.B. pharmacies are often called drug stores in American English and chemist’s in British English.
For example
Woman: I have a terrible headache.
Man: Here take this drug, they really work, I bought them in America.
Woman: A Prescription
Man: This is a piece of paper on which a doctor has written the name of the medicine that you need, and you take your prescription to the chemist’s and get the medicine there. N.B. Many medicines are not available without a prescription from a doctor.
For example:
Woman: What time is it, please?
Man: It’s a quarter past ten.
Woman: Never! I’ve been waiting over an hour, just to get a simple prescription from the doctor.

Woman: Powerless
Man: This means not having the ability to control something.
For example:
Woman: Aah, you are eating chocolate again! I’m completely powerless to help you with your diet.
Man: It’s just a little piece.

Woman: Now let’s listen to some information about the dangers of buying medicine over the internet.

With the advent of the internet, thousands of powerful drugs can be bought online. While the net is home to many legitimate pharmacies, it is also home to a number of e-pharmacies that operate illegally selling drugs to anyone willing to pay for them.
Anyone can buy treatments for cancer, impotence or depression and other medicines that are generally only available with a prescription. The pharmaceutical industry says it is concerned but powerless: websites that operate in countries with tight rules can be shut down, but other websites ship drugs from countries where a prescription is not required under the law.
Doctors fear that bringing this phenomenon under control may be impossible. “We need to educate patients about the dangers of buying medicines over the internet” said a spokesman for the British Medical Association, “People should not be taking medicines without medical advice.”

Woman: Where can I find an all-night chemist’s please?
Man: “Where can I find….?” is a useful phrase to ask where something is. An all-night chemist’s is one that is open for 24 hours.
Now listen to an example of this phrase:
Woman: Excuse me, where can I find an all-night chemist’s please?
Man: I’m sorry, I don’t know, but, if you look on the front page of the local newspaper, it will be printed there.
Woman: Thank you, but where can I find a local newspaper at this hour?
Man: Look over there, there is a newsagent’s still open.

Woman: How do I get to the nearest chemist’s please?
Man: “How do I get to …?” is another phrase to ask for directions to a place.
For example:
Woman: Hello can I have a copy of the local newspaper please?
Man: Certainly, here you are.
Woman: Thank you. Excuse me can you tell me how to get to the all-night chemist’s?
Man: OK, it’s on the High Street. So you need to turn left as you go out of this shop, follow the road to the junction, and then turn right and you’ll see the chemist’s on your left.
Woman: Thank you.

Woman: Can you give me something for a cold?
Man: “Can you give me something for…?” is a useful phrase to ask for something at a chemist’s, in London for example, where you might not know the name of a product or they have different medicines to your home country.
Listen to this short conversation:
Woman: Excuse me, can you give me something for a cold please?
Man: Certainly, do you have any allergies?
Woman: None that I’m aware of.
Man: Try these sachets. Mix them with hot water, and take one every 4 hours, for the next 4 days. They should help your cold.

Woman: I’m allergic to nuts.
Man: To be allergic to something means having an allergy. An allergy to something is a medical condition that makes you ill when you eat, touch or breathe something, that does not normally make other people ill.
For example:
Woman: Would you like a slice of this coffee and walnut cake, that I’ve made?
Man: I’m sorry, I’m allergic to nuts.
Woman: Oh no, I forgot.

Woman: Now let’s listen to a woman trying to find a chemist’s that is open for her bad cold.
Woman: Excuse me, where can I find a chemist’s please?
Man: Not on this road, you need to go to the main High Street
Woman: How do I get there?
Man: Well you could walk, but, it would take you 15 minutes. It would be better to take the number seventy-three bus.
Woman: Where is the bus stop, please?
Man: Just over there.
Woman: Thank you.
Uomo2: Hello, how can I help you?
Woman: Can you give me something for a cold please?
Uomo2: Are you allergic to anything?
Woman: No. Well, I don’t think so.
Uomo2: Ok. What symptoms do you have?
Woman: A sore throat, a cough, and my nose won’t stop running.
Uomo2: Well, you need some sore throat lozenges, cough mixture, and try these paracetemols, they are similar to aspirin, and really help a cold.
Woman: Thank you very much.