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What's the matter? Have and has for health problems

Students learn have and has for health problems in this A1 ESL lesson plan, from I have a cold to Does he have a fever?

Grammar
Has with he, she and it (She has a cold.), doesn't have and Does he have…? with short answers, next to I have and Do you have…?, and What's the matter?
Topic
Health problems and the drugstore, with Earle Dickson's small bandages for his wife's kitchen in New Jersey, around 1920, and words such as headache, fever, cough and medicine.
Activities
A museum sign, a drugstore dialogue and a voicemail, self-checking drills with a yes-no-question table, a pharmacy chat, role-play boxes and a sick-day message to write.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Achoo! Bless you!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: when you're sickVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: a bandage for the kitchen

    • Look at the photo: a kitchen around 1920PictureUnlock
    • Read the museum sign: a bandage for the kitchenReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: at the drugstore

    • Listen to Priya and JackListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to Sam's voicemail for the pie shopListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: she has a cold

    • Study the scheme: has, doesn't have, Does she have…?Grammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: who is sick?Fill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: yes, no and questionsFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: at the drugstore

    • Choose the right replies: at the drugstoreChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: at the drugstoreOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Drag the words into the gaps: has, have, does, doesn'tDrag and dropUnlock
    • Match the words and their meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Write a message: I'm sick todayWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record a voice message: a sick friendSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

25 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Health problems vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • headache
  • fever
  • sore throat
  • cough
  • bandage
  • medicine
  • pharmacist

Grammar: have and has for health problems

When someone is sick, people ask What's the matter?, and the answer often starts with have: I have a cold. The new step is talking about someone else: learners use has for he, she and it, switch back to have after does and doesn't, and ask about a friend's fever or cough. She's got a cold stays correct too.

What's the matter? She has a cold.

Say what people have when they are sick. he, she, it: has. Questions: Does … have?

I have, she has

I, you, we and they take have; he, she and it take has: He has a headache. It has a cut, for the dog. The negatives are don't have and doesn't have: She doesn't have a cough.

WhoYes ✓No ✗ (don't / doesn't + have)
II have a cold.I don't have a fever.
youYou have a cough.You don't have a fever.
heHe has a headache.He doesn't have a cold.
sheShe has a sore throat.She doesn't have a cough.
it (the dog)It has a cut.It doesn't have a fever.
weWe have bandages.We don't have medicine.
theyThey have medicine.They don't have bandages.

Does she have…? Yes, she does.

Questions about one other person start with Does, and have comes back without the -s: Does Sam have a cough? The short answer repeats does, so it's Yes, he does, not Yes, he has.

Questions and short answers

WhoQuestion ?Yes ✓No ✗
IDo I have a fever?Yes, you do.No, you don't.
youDo you have a cold?Yes, I do.No, I don't.
heDoes he have a cough?Yes, he does.No, he doesn't.
sheDoes she have a headache?Yes, she does.No, she doesn't.
itDoes it have a cut?Yes, it does.No, it doesn't.
weDo we have bandages?Yes, we do.No, we don't.
theyDo they have medicine?Yes, they do.No, they don't.

has or have?

he, she, it: has

  • She has a cold.
  • Sam has a cough.
  • It has a cut.

does / doesn't + have (no -s!)

  • She doesn't have a fever.
  • Does Sam have a cough?
  • Yes, he does. (Not: Yes, he has.)

What's the matter? I have a cold.

What's the matter? means What's wrong? Common illnesses take a: a cold, a headache, a fever, a sore throat, a cough. I have a headache and My head hurts say the same thing in two ways.

What's the matter? I have a…

What's the matter? = What's wrong? Answer with a: I have a cold. I have a headache. I have a fever. I have a sore throat. I have a cough.

I have a sore throat. = My throat hurts.

Two ways to say it: I have a sore throat. = My throat hurts. I have a headache. = My head hurts. (Not: I have a throat hurts.)

She has a cold, she's got a cold

Have got is right too: She's got a cold means She has a cold, and the typed gaps accept it. Questions and short answers keep do and does, the American way: Do you have a fever? No, I don't.

has got

You know has got too: She's got a cold. = She has a cold. Both are right!

Common mistakes

  • She have a cold.

    She has a cold.

    he, she, it: has

  • He doesn't has a fever.

    He doesn't have a fever.

    doesn't + have

  • Does she has a headache?

    Does she have a headache?

    Does + have

  • I have headache.

    I have a headache.

    a + illness

More lessons on this grammar: Present simple lessons and exercises

Try the have and has exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 12 auto-checked exercises
  • 2 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say what's wrong with someone, using has for he, she and it: Sam has a bad cold. Jack has a cut.
  • make negatives and questions with doesn't have and Does … have?: He doesn't have a fever. Does she have a headache?
  • give short answers with does, not has: Yes, he does. No, she doesn't.
  • ask What's the matter? and name a health problem with a: I have a sore throat. I have a cough.

Lesson 19 is the third lesson of Healthy me, the fifth unit of English A1.2 · Out and About. It builds on Best in show!, lesson 6 of English A1.1, where students asked Do you have a pet? and answered Yes, I do, and on the doesn't and Does…? of lessons 2 and 6 in this course. A trip to the drugstore for someone else's cold needs he has and Does he have…? right away.

A spin wheel about colds and first-aid kits opens the lesson, then ten words for being sick, from headache to pharmacist, with pictures and audio. Students read a museum sign about Earle Dickson's small bandages for his wife's kitchen, answer true-or-false and multiple-choice questions, and listen to Priya and Jack at the drugstore (an AI-voiced dialogue) and to Sam's sick-day voicemail. After the scheme come four exercises that check themselves, among them a gap-fill about who is sick and a table of yes, no and question forms. In the speaking chapter, students answer a pharmacist in a chat, then open role-play boxes for a pharmacist and a customer.

Homework starts with a drag-and-drop of has, have, does and doesn't and a word-matching task, both self-checking. Students then write their teacher a message about being sick and record a voice message about a sick friend, for the teacher to review.

Grammar:
has · doesn't have · Does he have…? · What's the matter? · I have a cold
Topic:
health · the drugstore · illnesses · inventions · New Jersey

Teaching tips

  • Act out a symptom and let the class guess: cough or hold your head, and students ask Do you have a cough? before telling a partner She has a headache.
  • Circle the -s on the board: it shows up once, on has in She has a cold or on does in Does she have a cold?, never on both.
  • Run the role-play boxes in pairs, one pharmacist and one customer, then swap, so both ask What's the matter? and Does she have a fever?
  • Before the museum sign, hold up a bandage and ask What's this? When do you need it? Then read how a New Jersey kitchen led to a new kind of small bandage.

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The whole course: English A1.2 · Out and About

32 lessons that pick up where English A1.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present simple with he and she to was and were. Eight units cover shopping, the weather, getting around, celebrations, health, animals and nature, jobs and weekends. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Shopping

    clothes and colors, he and she in the present simple, sizes and prices, paying in a store

    1. Lesson 1What does she wear on Aloha Friday?Present simple with he, she and it
    2. Lesson 2A basket on wheels?Present simple negatives with don't and doesn't
    3. Lesson 3What size are these boots?What questions and a pair of
    4. Lesson 4Can I try it on? The Santa Fe Indian MarketRequests and permission with Can I and Can you

  2. Unit 2 Weather and seasons

    the weather, seasons and months, the present continuous, how often it rains or snows

    1. Lesson 5Is the Windy City windy?Weather adjectives with It's
    2. Lesson 6Does it rain in the desert?Yes/no questions with does
    3. Lesson 7Baseball at midnight?The present continuous for now
    4. Lesson 8Is it always windy on Mount Washington?Adverbs of frequency and their place

  3. Unit 3 Getting around

    transport, timetables, where places are, tickets with want and need

    1. Lesson 9How do you get to work?By + transport, take the bus and on foot
    2. Lesson 10What time does the ferry leave?Wh- questions with does
    3. Lesson 11Where's the streetcar stop?Between, behind, in front of and across from
    4. Lesson 12Do you need a ticket?Want and need with a noun

  4. Unit 4 Celebrations

    dates and holidays, in and on, party invitations, object pronouns

    1. Lesson 13Why is it called Juneteenth?Ordinal numbers for saying dates
    2. Lesson 14Never on a Sunday? The Rose ParadeIn, on and at for dates and times
    3. Lesson 15Come to our Lunar New Year party!Some and any with plural nouns
    4. Lesson 16Thank you, teacher!Object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them

  5. Unit 5 Healthy me

    the body, how often, at the pharmacy, steps with first and then

    1. Lesson 17Does your back hurt?Hurt and hurts with parts of the body
    2. Lesson 18How often do you walk?How often questions and expressions of frequency
    3. Lesson 19 · you're hereWhat's the matter?Have and has for health problems
    4. Lesson 20Clean hands in five stepsSequence words with imperatives

  6. Unit 6 Animals and nature

    there is and there are, what animals are doing, parks, a, an and the

    1. Lesson 21Which frog sings its name?There is and there are for what's in a place
    2. Lesson 22What's the bear doing now?Present continuous questions and negatives
    3. Lesson 23Are there any horses on the beach?Questions with is there and are there any
    4. Lesson 24Where do the baby turtles go?A, an and the for first and second mention

  7. Unit 7 Jobs people do

    jobs and workplaces, the present simple and continuous, job interviews, possessive pronouns

    1. Lesson 25Who makes the sounds in movies?Present simple vs present continuous
    2. Lesson 26Nurses on horses?At, in and on with workplaces
    3. Lesson 27Can you be a lifeguard?Verbs with prepositions
    4. Lesson 28Whose hat is this?Possessive pronouns from mine to theirs

  8. Unit 8 Weekend stories and plans

    was and were, how long and how tall, and, but and or, camping food

    1. Lesson 29Why do we have two days off?Was and were, the past of be
    2. Lesson 30How long is a blue whale?How + adjective questions about size
    3. Lesson 31A cow made of butter?And, but and or for joining ideas
    4. Lesson 32What do you need for s'mores?Containers and quantities with of

Questions about this lesson

How do you ask what's wrong in English?
Ask What's wrong? or What's the matter?, which mean the same here. Are you OK? works when someone looks sick or tired. For another person, ask What's wrong with Sam? or a yes/no question: Does he have a fever? The usual reply names the problem with have and a: I have a headache. The A1 lesson What's the matter? on edio.ai opens a drugstore chat with this question.
When do you use have and has?
Use has with he, she, it and singular nouns, and have with I, you, we and they: She has a cold. Sam has a cough. We have bandages. After does and doesn't, it's always have: He doesn't have a fever. Does she have a headache? In statements, has got means the same: She's got a cold.
How do you answer "What's the matter?"
Answer with I have, then a and the problem: I have a cold. I have a sore throat. I have a headache. Don't drop the a, since I have headache is a common slip. You can also name the body part with hurts: My head hurts means I have a headache. The scheme in What's the matter?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, sets I have a sore throat next to My throat hurts.
Is it "she have" or "she has"?
It's she has, because he, she and it take has: She has a cold. My dad has a bad cough. Have is for I, you, we, they and plural nouns: My friends and I have bandages. The one change comes after does or doesn't, where have returns: She doesn't have a fever.
Is it "Does she have" or "Does she has"?
It's Does she have…?, because does already carries the -s. The -s shows up once in a sentence: She has a headache, or Does she have a headache?, never both. The negative works the same way: He doesn't have a fever, not He doesn't has a fever. The gap-fill in the A1 lesson What's the matter? on edio.ai turns Priya / have into Does Priya have a cough?
Is it "Yes, he does" or "Yes, he has"?
After a Does…? question, say Yes, he does or No, he doesn't. The short answer repeats the helper from the question, not have: Does Sam have a cough? Yes, he does. Do you have a fever? No, I don't. Yes, he has is a common slip, and the chat in this lesson offers it as a wrong reply to Does he have a fever?
What health problems vocabulary should beginners learn?
Start with five common problems that take a: a cold, a cough, a fever, a headache and a sore throat, plus a cut for small accidents. Then add the words for getting better: medicine, a bandage, rest and the pharmacist who helps at a drugstore. In American English, a drugstore or pharmacy sells medicine, and I have a cold is the illness, while I'm cold means you want a sweater.
How do I teach have and has to beginners?
Start from I have, which learners already know, with I have a cold, then move to someone else: Sam has a cold. Bring in doesn't have and Does he have…? last, and show how the -s moves to does. Sick days suit it, since people tell each other who is sick and what they have. This lesson runs from a museum sign and a drugstore dialogue to the scheme, four drills and a chat with a pharmacist.
What's a good pharmacy role-play for beginners?
Pair a pharmacist with a customer and give the customer a problem to explain: You have a cold and a cough. The pharmacist asks Do you have a fever? and offers medicine, then the customer asks for a sick brother: He has a sore throat. The open boxes in What's the matter?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, hand out these roles one prompt at a time.
How do you practice have and has one-to-one?
Talk about people the learner knows: Does your brother have a cold? No, he doesn't. He has a headache. Real names and family members force the choice between have and has every time. For practice alone, the chat in this lesson casts the student as a customer whose brother is sick too, so the replies move between I have and he has.
What's good homework for practicing has and doesn't have?
A sick-day message to a teacher makes good homework: I have a cold and a sore throat. I don't have a fever, but I have a bad cough. My mom has medicine for me. It mixes have, don't have and has naturally. In the A1 lesson What's the matter? on edio.ai, students also record a voice message about a sick friend, with he has and she doesn't have.
Are there interactive exercises for have and has?
Yes: self-checking gap-fills and a pharmacy chat give instant feedback on have, has and does. On this page, four parts of What's the matter?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, open with no account: the museum sign about a bandage for the kitchen, a dialogue at the drugstore, a gap-fill about who is sick, such as Jack has a small cut on his finger, and a chat with a pharmacist. The yes-no-question table and the rest are locked.
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