13. BONE FRACTURES
Fill in the missing prepositions.
A fracture is the medical term 1) ________ a broken bone. Fractures are common; the
average person has two during a lifetime. They occur when the physical force exerted
2) _________ the bone is stronger than the bone itself.
Your risk of fracture depends, in part, 3) ________ your age. Broken bones are very
common 4) ________ childhood, though children's fractures are generally less complicated than
fractures in adults. As you age, your bones become more brittle and you are more likely to suffer
fractures 5) ________ falls that would not occur when you were young.
There are many types of fractures, but the main categories are displaced, non-displaced,
open (compound), and closed. Displaced and non-displaced fractures refer 6) ________ the way
the bone breaks.
In a displaced fracture, the bone snaps 7) __________ two or more parts and moves so
that the two ends are not lined up straight. If the bone is in many pieces, it is called a
comminuted fracture. In a non-displaced fracture, the bone cracks either part or all of the
way through, but does move and maintains its proper alignment.
A closed fracture is when the bone breaks but there is no puncture or open wound
8) _________ the skin. An open fracture is one in which the bone breaks through the skin; it
may then recede back into the wound and not be visible through the skin. This is an important
difference 9) _________ a closed fracture because with an open fracture there is a risk of a deep
bone infection.
The severity of a fracture depends upon its location and the damage done to the bone
and tissue near it. Serious fractures can have dangerous complications if not treated promptly;
possible complications include damage to blood vessels or nerves and infection of the bone or
surrounding tissue. Recovery time varies depending on the age and health of the patient and the
type of fracture. A minor fracture in a child may heal 10) __________ a few weeks; a serious
fracture in an older person may take months to heal.
EXERCISE 1 Find synonyms in the text above.
1. use in a strong way 
2. grow old 
3. fragile bones 
4. break suddenly 
5. hole 
6. immediately 
7. small, insignificant 
8. become healthy and normal again 
EXERCISE 2 Match the descriptions with the types of fracture.
1 simple a) which occurs when certain bones are likely to break from repeated minor
injuries
2 avulsion b) where the ends of a bone are driven into each other
3 spiral c) a complex fracture which results in more than two bone fragments
4 comminuted d) where the volume of bone is reduced because it has been compressed
5 crush e) where there is a single fracture of the bone with only two main fragments
6 stress f) where a bit of bone is pulled off with a ligament or muscle
7 impacted g) which is not very clear and there is no clear displacement
8 hairline h) which is seen in long bones as a result of twisting injuries
EXERCISE 3 Complete the sentences using the verbs below.
banged dislocated pulled slipped stubbed stumbled twisted
went over fell smash tripped landed squashed twisted
1) I __________________ on a loose paving stone as I was walking down the street and
__________________ flat on my face.
2) I __________________ and lost my footing and __________________ my ankle.
3) I __________________ my toe on a chair. I may have fractured it, but I hope I haven't.
4) I __________________ my knee on the metal table. I am surprised I didn't
__________________ my kneecap to pieces.
5) I __________________ my ankle when I went over and now I can barely walk. I don't think it's
broken or anything. It's more likely to be a sprain.
6) I __________________ on the wet floor and went over and __________________on my
bottom.
7) The motorbike __________________ on my ankle and crushed my leg.
8) I think I ve __________________ my shoulder and I can barely move it.
9) I __________________ my finger in the door and it's throbbing like mad.
10) I __________________ this nick out of the side of my fingernail and now it's infected.
EXERCISE 4 Ask your partner the following questions.
1. Have you ever sprained your wrist? How? Did you wear a sling?
2. Have you ever broken an arm or a leg? If so, how did it happen? What type of fracture was it?
Did you have to wear a plaster cast?
3. Do you have a first-aid kit at home, or in the car? Have you ever given anyone first aid?
4. Can you name four things usually found in a first aid kit?
5. Are you a blood donor? Would you like to give blood? Why (not)?
6. Have you ever fainted, or felt faint? Why? What happened?
7. Have you ever had a cut which needed stitches? How many stitches did you have?
8. Have you ever needed crutches? Why? How long did you need them for?
9. Do you bruise easily? How long does it take for your bruises to heal, usually?
LISTENING
Patient 1 Patient 2 Patient 3
Patient s
complaint
How did it
happen?
What did
the
doctor
say?
Grammar
EXERCISE 1 Underline th5 AorreAt word or phras5 in eaAh sentenAe.
a) That Aan t b5 right. I do? t b5lieCe / I m ?ot b5Iievi?g it!
b) Carolin5 Aan t swim today. Sh5 h0s / is h0ving a Aold.
A) S55 you in th5 morning. I le0ve / I m le0vi?g now.
d) What do you do / 0re you doi?g? If you drop it, it will 5xplod5!
5) Stop doing that, Bill! You re / You re bei?g v5rC sillC.
D I drive / I m diving! You Aan sit in th5 baAk with Martin.
g) Wh0t do we e0t / 0re we e0ting this 5v5ning? I m r5ally hungry!
h) You r5 a gr5at Aook! This cak5 t0stes / is t0sting wond5rful.
i) Wh5r5 do Cou go / 0re you goi?g? I hav5n t finish5d sp5aking to you!
i) !h5mistry is hard. I do? t u?derst0nd /I m not underst0?ding it.
EXERCISE 2 Put 5aAh v5rb in braAkets into either the past simple or past Aontinuous.
a) Wh5n Harry (wak5 up) ___________________ , we (tell) __________________ him th5 n5ws.
b) v5ryon5 (wait) ____________________ for th5 AonA5rt to b5gin wh5n a m5ssag5 (arriv5)
____________________ .
A) !harlott5 (want) ____________________ a r5laxing holiday, so sh5 (Ahoos5)
____________________ to stay on a small island.
d) Wh5n Rob5rto (study) ____________________ in Am5riAa, his par5nts (phon5)
____________________ him 5v5ry w55k.
5) I (find) ___________________ my p5n whil5 I (look for) ___________________my bag.
f) Ann (watAh) __________________ a film on t5l5vision when Juli5 (arriv5) ________________ .
g) Wh5n th5 lights (go out) ___________________, I (li5) ___________________ in b5d r5ading.
h) Wh5n you (go) ___________________ to th5 n5w !hin5s5 r5staurant, what (you 5at)
___________________?
EXERCISE 3 Underline the errors in thes5 sentenAes. Rewrit5 eaAh s5ntenAe.
a) Wh5n w5 had at5 lunAh, w5 w5r5 sitting in th5 gard5n.
______________________________________________________________________
b) Whil5 I look5d for my keys, I r5m5mb5r5d I l5ft th5m at hom5.
______________________________________________________________________
A) Anna had us5d to play badminton wh5n sh5 had b55n at sAhool.
______________________________________________________________________
d) Wh5n I got into b5d, I was falling asl55p imm5diat5ly.
______________________________________________________________________
5) Wh5n I was finally finding th5 hous5, I was knoAking at th5 door.
______________________________________________________________________
f) Aft5r Jill was giving NiAk his books, sh5 w5nt hom5.
______________________________________________________________________
g) Maria would liv5 in Sw5d5n wh5n sh5 was a Ahild.
______________________________________________________________________
h) I was using to g5t up 5arly wh5n I had gon5 sailing.
______________________________________________________________________
i) Th5 Vikings had sail5d to North Am5riAa a thousand y5ars ago.
______________________________________________________________________
j) Juli5t was sur5 sh5 was s55ing th5 tall man b5for5.
______________________________________________________________________
EXERCISE 4 Und5rlin5 the Aorr5At word or phrase in 5aAh sent5nAe.
a) Whil5 I h0d w0ited / was waiting / w0ited at th5 bus stop, I h0d notiAed / w0s notiAing /
notiAed a n5w shop whiAh w0s? t / h0d? t b5en in th5 str55t th5 day b5for5.
b) I h0d go?e / went out into th5 gard5n to f5tAh my bik5, but fou?d / w0s finding that som5one
stole / h0d stolen it.
c) Wh5n G5org5 met / w0s meeti?g Dian5 at th5 party, h5 thought / w0s thinking that h5 s0w /
h0d seen / w0s seei?g h5r som5wh5r5 befor5.
d) mily got off / w0s g5tting off the bus, and w0lked / w0s w0Iki?g into th5 bank wh5n sh5
re0Iized /h0d re0Iized /w0s re0Iizing that sh5 left / h0d left / w0s le0ving h5r handbag on th5
bus.
e) Aft5r I w0s buying / h0d bought my n5w Aomput5r, I disAov5r5d that I w0sn t h0ving / did? t
h0ve 5nough m5mory.
f) I w5nt to th5 post >ffiA5 to ask about my paAkag5, but th5y h0d s0id / s0id that it still h0dn t
0rrived /didn t 0rrive.