Understanding and Using Medical Terms, Elementary Level

PREFACE
Welcome to the third edition to Understanding and Using Medical Terms, Elementary Level*! This new edition is the product of extensive revision and evaluation, not only by myself and my students, but by the many instructors who, along with their students, have used the previous edition and have contributed valuable suggestions and comments. The success of the previous edition has been due, in large measure, to the honest and careful appraisal given by language instructors and their students.
This book is designed for university students and professionals who are studying English as a Foreign language (EFL) at an elementary level. It provides a solid foundation in medical-scientific English to enable them to understand and communicate in medical/scientific situations. It is meant to meet the need for teaching medical vocabulary to non-native speakers of English.
The vocabulary items in this book are all commonly used in the
medical-paramedical field. The material is arranged into sixteen units, and each unit is divided into manageable sections. These are presented to the student in a regular, controlled fashion. Target words and their derivations are contextualized to illustrate their meanings and are systematically introduced so that vocabulary development can lead to enhanced language acquisition. Word-formation boxes are provided to emphasize the importance of having a sound knowledge of the meanings and significance of prefixes and suffixes. They are invaluable in helping students to guess the meanings of many unknown words they will inevitably encounter in their textbooks and at work. Explanations, varied exercises, and illustrations are provided to aid, motivate and test students’ learning. Short reading passages illustrating the use of vocabulary items from each section are also provided along with appropriate exercises.
To the Student
‘Read, study and learn’ is the key to getting the most benefit from this book. Read through each entry very carefully, studying the definitions,
explanations, and examples which illustrate the meaning of the word. Then read and study them again until you have learnt what the word means and how to use it in context. At the end of each section, exercises are provided so you can practice, and you can check how well you remember the vocabulary you have been studying.
Remember to study the information in the word-formation boxes. Learning the meanings of prefixes like post-, anti-, and hyper-, and suffixes like -itis, -ectomy, and -graphy will make it possible for you to guess successfully the meaning of many unknown words. Recognizing word endings like -ation, -al, and -ize will help you to decide if a word is a noun, an adjective, or a verb.
To the Teacher
The vocabulary items in this book are presented systematically, following the principles of learning that lead to successful language acquisition. The items are divided into sixteen units that cover the most commonly-used words in the medical-paramedical field.
The principal aim of this book is to ensure that students build up a solid lexical base. This will solve many of the difficulties learners have with both receptive and productive language. For learning to occur, the learner must pay attention to the new material and make an effort to learn it. Every attempt has been made to write definitions and examples in language that students will understand, and various exercises are provided for each unit. Also, at the end of each unit there is a review section focusing on the vocabulary in the unit. Vocabulary items, once introduced, are recycled as frequently as possible in later exercises. Weekly quizzes should be given to test the items covered. Such achievement tests not only inform the teacher about the progress of his students, they also help learning process by motivating learners to study and by giving another meaningful repetition (recycling) of the vocabulary items.
CONTENTS
UNIT 1: Basic Elements of a Medical Word
UNIT 2: Anatomical Positions and Directions
UNIT 3: Numbers and Colours
UNIT 4: Medical Instruments and Surgical Procedures
UNIT 5: Diseases and Conditions
UNIT 6: Specialties and Specialists
UNIT 7: The Digestive System
UNIT 8: The Respiratory System
UNIT 9: The Cardiovascular System
UNIT 10: The Urinary System
UNIT 11: The Nervous System
UNIT 12: The Eye and the Ear
UNIT 13: The Skin
UNIT 14: The Skeletal System
UNIT 15: The Male Reproductive System
UNIT 16: .. The Female Reproductive System