Practice · Dr. Bashir

1 Corrections

How you said it, the natural version, and why. These are your own sentences.

How you said it

Medicine is a very humane job.

The natural version

Medicine is a very humane profession.

For a career like medicine, profession sounds more respectful than "job." (humane = kind and compassionate.)

How you said it

I spent 2 hours just to reach the area which I was going to perform on.

The natural version

…the area which I was going to operate on (work on).

You operate on a patient or a body part, or work on an area. You perform an operation — but you don't "perform on" a place.

How you said it

I was in the party and I fell on the floor.

The natural version

I was at the party and I fell on the floor.

Use at for events — at a party, at a wedding, at a meeting.

How you said it

the dean of medicine faculty.

The natural version

the dean of the faculty of medicine.

Reorder and add "the": the faculty of medicine (or the medical faculty).

1b Already right

These needed no correction at all.

He is less likely to leave the country after the liberation.

Excellent — perfect use of less likely to + verb.

I didn't have a pleasant experience with him.

Correct and natural — nice use of pleasant.

2 Grammar tips

operate on / work on

You operate on a patient or body part, and perform an operation. Watch the preposition.

The surgeon operated on his knee.

Synonym pairs (formal / informal)

Learning pairs doubles your range: shallow = superficial, pleasant = satisfying, forbidden = not allowed.

a shallow (superficial) answer.

at an event

Use at for events and gatherings.

I was at the party / at the meeting.

likely to / less (un)likely to

(be) likely to + verb = probable; less / unlikely to = less probable.

It's likely to rain today. / He's less likely to leave.

ashamed of / to; embarrassed about

ashamed of + noun; ashamed to + verb; embarrassed about + noun.

ashamed of the mistake / ashamed to ask / embarrassed about falling.

ashamed vs embarrassed vs shy

ashamed = guilt over something wrong; embarrassed = social awkwardness; shy = timid by nature.

I'm not ashamed of it. / I was embarrassed when I fell. / He's too shy to speak.

3 New words and phrases

4 Pronunciation

·dehiscencedih-HISS-ensStress on HISS; the "sc" is just an "s."

Practise these sounds

5 Practice sentences

01The operation lasted 7 hours continuously, and I was very tense the whole time.
02Everything that could go wrong went wrong — the patient lost a liter of blood in two minutes.
03But it happens to the best of us, and in the end the patient was fine.
04With this technique, adhesions are less likely to occur.
05She came to me through a referral from another doctor.
06If you refer the patient to me, I'll operate on him next week.
07I didn't have a pleasant experience with him; he only gave me a shallow solution.
08In my country, the culture of favoritism is strong, so people ask the dean or the governor for favors.
09Medicine is a very humane profession, and I'm not ashamed of the work I do.
10You shouldn't be ashamed to ask anyone for help.
11I fell on the floor at the party, and I was so embarrassed.
12He's too shy to speak, but he's less likely to make a mistake.

6 Model sentences

Read these out loud three times.

It's likely to rain today, so the surgery schedule might change.
With the new method, adhesions and wound dehiscence are less likely to occur.
Everything that could go wrong went wrong — but it happens to the best of us.
She was referred to me, especially because the case was complicated.
He gave me a shallow solution, so it wasn't a pleasant experience.
In our system, people rely on favoritism and ask the dean or the governor for a favor.
Medicine is a humane profession, and I'm not ashamed of it.
There's a real difference between feeling embarrassed, being shy, and being ashamed.

7 Mini-dialogue

A
You look tired. Was it a hard case?
B
Very. I operated for seven hours continuously, and I was so tense.
A
What happened?
B
Everything that could go wrong went wrong. The patient lost a liter of blood in two minutes.
A
That's frightening. But it happens to the best of us.
B
True. Luckily, with my method, adhesions are less likely to occur.
A
How did the patient come to you?
B
Through a referral. And honestly, I'm not ashamed to say I was proud of my team.

Read A, say B's line yourself, then check.

8 Homework

Grammar: Write 5 sentences using "likely to" and "less / unlikely to" about your work and your country (e.g., "It's likely to…").
Word choice: Write 3 sentences that show the difference between ashamed, embarrassed, and shy.
Speaking: Say these words out loud three times each and record yourself — adhesion, dehiscence, referral, governor, embarrassed.
Writing: Describe your most difficult operation in 6 sentences, using continuously, tense, referral, and "it happens to the best of us."
Vocabulary: Write the difference between a mayor, a governor, and a dean, with one sentence for each.
Synonyms: Use shallow/superficial and pleasant/satisfying in four sentences.

9 Self-check

The most useful grammar was "likely to" — I can now say "adhesions are less likely to occur" and "it's likely to rain." I also learned to say I "operate on" an area, not "perform on" it.

The three emotion words were tricky, but now I know: ashamed is about guilt, embarrassed is about social awkwardness (like when I fell at the party), and shy is about being timid by nature.

One thing I want to check next time: the exact difference between a mayor, a governor, and a dean, and when a "favor" turns into "favoritism."