توصیف علائم و باور شدنDescribing symptoms and being believed

Duration, frequency and trend — the three questions

توصیفِ مفیدِ یک نشانه به سه پرسش پاسخ می‌دهد و هرکدام گرامر خودش را دارد. مدت: چه مدت ادامه دارد؟ حال کامل استمراری برای چیزی که هنوز جریان دارد — «I have been getting headaches for six weeks» — و دقت کن for + یک بازه، since + یک نقطهٔ شروع: for six weeks، since Ramadan. انگلیسی اینجا حال ساده به کار نمی‌برد؛ «I get headaches since June» یکی از رایج‌ترین خطاهای زبان‌آموزان است و معنا را کاملاً عوض می‌کند. تکرار، از بیشترین به کمترین: constantly، all the time، most days، on and off، now and again، occasionally، once or twice. عبارت on and off ارزش مالک‌شدن دارد — یعنی با فاصله در یک بازهٔ طولانی، که دقیقاً همان چیزی است که پزشکی می‌خواهد بداند. روند همان است که زبان‌آموزان جا می‌اندازند و اغلب مهم‌ترین است: it has been getting worse، it is easing off، it comes and goes but the gaps are shorter، it has plateaued. باز هم حال کامل استمراری، چون روند تمام‌نشده است. چه چیزی تغییرش می‌دهد: worse after eating، better if I lie down، brought on by cold، relieved by heat، triggered by stress. به وصفی‌های brought on / relieved by / triggered by دقت کن — این‌ها مجهول‌اند و سطحِ سبکِ استاندارد. در پایان، تعدیلی که به‌جای نمایشی‌بودن باورپذیرت می‌کند: it is more of an ache than a pain؛ I would describe it as pressure rather than sharpness.

A useful symptom description answers three questions, and each has its own grammar. DURATION: how long has it been going on? Present perfect continuous for something still happening — "I have been getting headaches for six weeks" — and note for + a period, since + a starting point: for six weeks, since Ramadan. English does NOT use the present simple here; "I get headaches since June" is one of the most common learner errors and it changes the meaning entirely. FREQUENCY, from most to least: constantly, all the time, most days, on and off, now and again, occasionally, once or twice. On and off is worth owning — it means intermittently over an extended period, which is exactly what medicine wants to know. TREND is the one learners miss, and it is often the most important: it has been getting worse, it is easing off, it comes and goes but the gaps are shorter, it has plateaued. Present perfect continuous again, because the trend is unfinished. WHAT CHANGES IT: worse after eating, better if I lie down, brought on by cold, relieved by heat, triggered by stress. Note the participles brought on / relieved by / triggered by — these are passive and they are the standard register. Finally, the hedge that keeps you credible rather than dramatic: it is more of an ache than a pain; I would describe it as pressure rather than sharpness.