Practice · Dr. Bashir

1 Corrections

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

How you said it

There are many points of views about this.

The natural version

There are many points of view about this.

Pluralize the main noun: points of view (not "points of views"). Same idea: passers-by, mothers-in-law.

How you said it

The patient enters the operation fully undressed.

The natural version

The patient goes into surgery fully undressed.

You go into surgery / the operating room — not "enter the operation." ("Undressed" sounds a little softer than "naked.")

How you said it

We make the patient sign bonds.

The natural version

We make the patient sign a bond (a written guarantee).

Here a bond is a written promise to pay — usually a bond (singular) or a financial guarantee.

How you said it

All hospitals must approve all emergency cases.

The natural version

All hospitals must admit all emergency cases.

You admit (take in) a patient; you approve a plan. For emergencies, hospitals admit / accept them.

1b Already right

These needed no correction at all.

He asked me if I had gone to the hospital the day before.

Excellent reported question — "did you go" → if I had gone, and "yesterday" → the day before.

He asked me what I wanted to eat.

Correct — keep the wh-word what, then subject + verb (backshifted to wanted).

2 Grammar tips

admit vs approve

admit = take a patient into hospital; approve = agree to a plan.

We must admit the emergency case. / The board approved the budget.

Reported wh-questions

Keep the wh-word, then subject + verb (backshifted).

"What do you want?" → He asked me what I wanted.

Reported yes/no questions

Use ask + if / whether + subject + verb (statement order), and backshift — no question form.

"Do you have a problem?" → He asked me if I had a problem.

Plural of compound nouns

Pluralize the main noun, not the last word.

points of view, passers-by, mothers-in-law.

let me know (+ by + time)

let + someone + know = tell them later; add by for a deadline.

I'll let you know by 3 PM.

Backshift + time words

present → past, past → past perfect; and shift time words.

"Did you go yesterday?" → if I had gone the day before.

3 New words and phrases

4 Pronunciation

·jewelryJOO-ul-reeSay "JOO-ul-ree" — don't add extra sounds.

Practise these sounds

5 Practice sentences

01During the war, we treated many trauma cases at the military hospital — stab wounds and stray shots.
02Both sides had a sniper, so even a recent accident could be very complicated.
03Under the law, all hospitals must admit every emergency case, even if the patient can't pay.
04It's a very unfair law, but if they refuse to pay, we may sue and send a statement to the judge.
05The case took about five years, and the whole system is full of corruption.
06He asked me if I had a problem, and I said I had a big one.
07The nurse asked me what I wanted to eat, but I had already thrown up.
08He asked me if I had gone to the hospital the day before.
09I'll let you know by 3 PM what my plan is going to be.
10Keep that in mind: nepotism and favoritism are not the same as social solidarity.
11Before surgery, the patient must remove every ring, necklace, and earring.
12A god-fearing doctor treats every patient with respect, whatever they can pay.

6 Model sentences

Read these out loud three times.

Under the law, we must admit all emergency cases, even the most complicated ones.
If a patient refuses to pay, the hospital may sue and send a statement to the judge.
He asked me if I had a problem, and then he asked what I wanted to do about it.
The whole system is full of corruption, and it's fueled by nepotism.
There are many points of view, but I believe in social solidarity.
I'll let you know by 3 PM, so keep your phone with you.
Please remove your ring and necklace before we take you into surgery.
You get what you pay for — but a god-fearing doctor never thinks that way.

7 Mini-dialogue

A
You look worried. Is it the new case?
B
Yes. Under the law, we had to admit him, even though he can't pay.
A
Can the hospital do anything?
B
We may sue him and send a statement to the judge, but the case could take five years.
A
Did you ask the family about the bill?
B
I asked them if they could pay, and they said they couldn't.
A
It's an unfair law. The whole system is full of corruption.
B
True. But I'm a god-fearing doctor — I'll treat him first and think about the bill later.

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

8 Homework

Reported questions: Change these to reported speech — "Do you have insurance?", "What do you want?", "Did you take the medicine?" (Use "He asked me if / what…" and backshift.)
Time words: Rewrite "Did you go yesterday?" and "Will you come tomorrow?" as reported questions (yesterday → the day before; tomorrow → the next day).
Speaking: Say these words out loud three times each and record yourself — nepotism, solidarity, corruption, alternative, jewelry.
Vocabulary: Write the difference between a burial, a grave, a cemetery, and a funeral, with one sentence for each.
Real use: Use "let me know by…" and "keep that in mind" in two real messages this week.
Writing: Explain the emergency-admission law in 6 sentences, using admit, sue, statement, and unfair.

9 Self-check

Reported questions are getting clearer: for yes/no questions I use "He asked me if…," and for wh-questions I keep the word — "He asked me what I wanted." I always backshift and change the time words.

I learned the difference between a burial (the act), a grave (one place), a cemetery (the whole area), and a funeral (the gathering). And it's "points of view," not "points of views."

One thing I want to check next time: the exact difference between nepotism, favoritism, and corruption, and when "admit" is better than "approve."