ASKING ABOUT BACKGROUND

There are many polite ways to ask a patient about their background.

• Do you have a partner?
• Are you married, single or divorced?
• Are you widowed? (= spouse has died) 

• Is anyone in your family ill?
• Are your parents still alive?
• How many siblings do you have? (= brothers or sisters)

• Are you employed?
• What do you do for a living?
• What is your profession?
• Where are you employed?
• What is your occupation?
• What is your job?

• Who do you live with?
  
• Do you live alone?
• What is your address?
• Do you have pets?
• What is your home situation like?

•  What do you do in your free time?
• What do you do for fun?
• How do you like to relax?
• Do you have a hobby?
• Do you drink or smoke?
• Do you socialize often?

• Do you have any illnesses?
• Are you on any medication?
• Do you take any over-the-counter (OTC) medication?
• Do you take any prescription medication?
• Do you /Did you get side effects from the medication?

SPEAKING EXERCISE E

Practice repeating ALOUD each example sentence in the lesson above. Focus on the common collocations, RUNNING THEM TOGETHER until they flow as ONE EXPRESSION.  The collocations are underlined.

READING EXERCISE E

Follow the Conversation

Instructions: Below, a doctor is interviewing a new patient, getting general background information. Using the drop-down menus, arrange the dialogue in logical order from 1 (what the doctor says first) to 10 (what the patient says last). Answers 1, 6 and 10 have been done for you.