Accidents At Home

This is the material for an English conversation lesson about accidents at home.
Learn new words, phrases and expressions and answer topic related questions.

Razor-sharp knives. Burning-hot stovetops. Gas supply, boiling liquids, sinks and baths in
close proximity to power points. With all these hazards confined to a single space, it seems
obvious that the home can be potentially dangerous. Everyday we walk past potential hazards
without giving them a thought. But every homeowner should be aware of where and how
accidents are most likely to occur. The risks, of course, largely depend on our age and living
situation, and no matter how much we strive to make our domestic environment as safe as
possible, accidents at home can still occur. Even in the most conscientious of households.
When it comes to the health of our families, especially for those with young children, it makes
sense to know exactly what to do in an emergency.

➔ What do you think is the most dangerous thing in your home?

➔ How can it be made less dangerous?

NOUNS ADJECTIVES VERBS ACCIDENTS

stovetop mere trip over (phrasal Poisoning
oven unfortunate verb) Falling Objects
electrical socket fatal fall Choking
power point electrical slip Falls and Slips
sink boiling choke Cuts and Lacerations
hot water tap scalding lacerate Burns
faucet unforeseen slice Strangulation
gas bottle severe sprain Fires
staircase life-threatening bump / bang Drowning
ladder break Firearm Accidents
bric-a-brac faint
garden shears

JUMP INTO ENGLISH ON THE RIGHT FOOT!

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2023
IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
A fate worse than death – something you do not want to experience because it is so
unpleasant.
Twist of fate – If something happens by a twist of fate, it happens by chance, and it is strange,
interesting, or unfortunate in some way.
Out of luck – To be unlucky or live unfortunate experiences.
Open Pandora's box – If someone opens Pandora's box, they do something that causes a lot
of problems to appear that did not exist before.
Tough luck – is said to someone to show that you have no sympathy for their problems or
difficulties.

PHRASAL VERBS
black out – to temporarily lose consciousness.

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS

➢ Are gas bottle explosions common in your country? What can be done about it?
➢ Are deaths caused by carbon-monoxide poisoning common in your country?
➢ What is the most dangerous thing in the home for a child? How can it be made
less dangerous?
➢ What is the most dangerous thing in the home for an elderly person? How can it
be made less dangerous?
➢ What dangers can be found in the kitchen that can cause accidents?
➢ How can kitchen accidents be prevented?
➢ What can a parent do to childproof a kitchen?
➢ What dangers can be found in bathrooms that can cause accidents?
➢ How can bathroom accidents be prevented?
➢ What are some potential choking hazards found around the home?
➢ What dangers can be found outside the home in the yard that can cause
accidents?
➢ What can be done to prevent yard accidents?
➢ What can a parent do to childproof the yard?
➢ What other dangers can be found in a home in bedrooms, the laundry, garage,
and living areas?
➢ Do you have a first aid kit?
○ Where do you keep it?

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2023
 ➢ Where are these items found in a house, why could they be dangerous, to
whom could they be dangerous, and what could someone do to lessen the
danger they present?

○ hot pan/pot
○ hot curling iron
○ knife
○ window
○ iron
○ medicines
○ gasoline
○ pool
○ insecticides
○ natural gas
○ balcony
○ toilets
○ staircase
○ stove/oven
○ stool/ladder
○ yard tools
○ fireplace
○ cellar /attic
○ bathtub
○ volatile dog
○ tall pieces of furniture
○ swing set / playground
○ very clean glass sliding door
○ electronic equipment
○ cleaning supplies
○ lake/retention pond
○ loose carpet on slippery tile floor
○ glass table or sharp edged table
○ hairdryer
○ bric-a-brac

➢ What do you need to do if...

○ you cut your finger preparing food?

○ you fall down and can not move a limb?
○ your child drinks a poisonous liquid?
○ the toilet is flooding the bathroom?
○ a pan on the stove is on fire?
○ a neighbour's dog is growling at you?
○ your child falls off a chair and is bleeding?
➢ What is the phone number for the police, fire brigade and ambulance?
➢ What is the phone number for poison control?

JUMP INTO ENGLISH ON THE RIGHT FOOT!

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2023
 ACCIDENTS AT HOME EXERCISE
Complete the sentences by choosing the correct word from the table.

scalding power point unforeseen life-threatening tripped over

sprained fell opened lacerated garden shears

Pandora's box

twist of fate slipped stovetop ladder blacked out

mere broke gas bottle banged fatal

1. Anthony ………………………… his finger when he was sharpening the …………………………

but luckily it was only a ………………………… cut.

2. A young family suffered ………………………………. injuries in a house fire on Saturday night.

3. Tom ………………………. his ankle when he ……………………………. a toy that was left on
the floor.

4. They say that it was an ………………………….(adj.) ………………………...…….(idiom.) when

Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin on 24th December 1974, destroying 80% of family homes.

5. When Henry …………… off the …………………………, he ……………………….. his arm.

6. When I stood on the rake, its hard wooden handle ………………………. my head so hard that I

…………………………….

7. "I think I must've ………………………………………. because of the bad luck I've been having!"

8. An elderly woman suffered a ……………… heart-attack after a ………………………… had

exploded in her home.

9. Jane was very badly burnt by …………………………… hot water when she ……………………...

in her kitchen knocking down a boiling pot from the …………………………………….

10. John received an electric shock while he was trying to repair a faulty ……………………………..

JUMP INTO ENGLISH ON THE RIGHT FOOT!

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2023