ESL Podcast 595 - Suffering from Allergies

to sneeze - to uncontrollably push air and drops of liquid from one's nose and mouth, usually making a loud noise, often when one is sick or when the air is dirty

Please cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze!

itchy - having an unpleasant, uncomfortable feeling on the skin that makes one want to scratch the surface with one's fingernails

Her skin gets itchy when the air is very dry.

watery - with a lot of water; filled with water

His eyes were really watery and it looked like he was trying not to cry.

to tilt - to move something so that it is at an angle, not straight up and down

They tilted their bookcase toward the wall to make it safer, so that it wouldn't fall down if their son tried to climb up it.

nasal passage - nostril; one of the two pathways from the hole in one's nose to the lungs

The child put a coin up his nose, blocking his nasal passage, and had to be taken to the hospital.

congested - with a lot of congestion; with one's nose or other body parts full of liquid and mucus or snot, making it difficult to breathe

If you're too congested, try taking this medicine, which should make it easier to breathe.

sinuses - the empty spaces in some of the bones connected to the inside of one's nose

The doctor looked at Madia's sinuses and said she had a sinus infection.

spot - a small area that has a different color or texture than the surrounding area

Their new puppy is light brown with dark spots on his left ear and back feet.

hives - red, uncomfortable skin caused by a disease or an allergic reaction

Whenever Rahim eats strawberries, he breaks out in hives.

shortness of breath - difficulty breathing, so that one feels as if he or she cannot get enough oxygen, almost as if he or she had just done of lot of exercise

If you experience shortness of breath while exercising in this class, please slow down.

constricted - with limited physical movement; narrowed and tightened; unable to expand as much as desired

Ed hates driving small cars, because he always feels too constricted in them.

to breathe - to bring air into one's lungs and push it back out again through the nose or mouth; to inhale and exhale

If you feel nervous during the interview, just remember to breathe and to try to relax.

severe - very strong and serious

We're expecting a severe thunderstorm this afternoon.

allergy attack - a period of time when one feels sick and uncomfortable because one has been exposed to an allergen (something that one is allergic to)

Have you ever had an allergy attack from eating peanuts?

to refer (someone) to (someone) - to officially recommend that someone use the professional services of another person, especially of a doctor

Henrietta's doctor referred her to a dermatologist for her skin problems.

allergist - a doctor who specializes in allergies (the physical reactions people have when they eat certain foods or touch certain substances)

The allergist tested Craig for allergies to grass, cat hair, dog hair, and pollen.

allergic to (something) - having an uncomfortable, possibly dangerous physical reaction to something that one has eaten or touched

Have you always been allergic to tomatoes?