To call in sick meaning in English
Learn how to use To call in sick correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
to call in sick: to telephone one's place of work to notify of absence due to illness
Examples
- "Maybe I'll call in sick to work tomorrow, and we can spend the day in bed."
Exercise 1
Bob writes that maybe he will "call in sick" tomorrow. To "call in sick" is a very common English idiom. In this context of Bob's email, what does it mean?
Bob writes that maybe he will "call in sick" tomorrow. To "call in sick" is a very common English idiom. In this context of Bob's email, what does it mean?
This is incorrect. When Bob writes that he will call in sick, he means that he will call his own office in order to take the day off of work.
This is incorrect. Bob is expressing that he will try to take tomorrow off and spend the rest of the day in bed with Sophie, and not go to work at all.
This is incorrect. Bob writes "I'll call in sick" which means that he will call on his own behalf, not on behalf of Sophie. Also Bob will call his own office, and not Sophie's hospital.
This is correct. The expression to "call in sick" means that one will call the office or place of business and announce that they will be taking the day off. To call in sick does NOT necessarily mean that the caller IS sick! It could be true or just an excuse to miss a day of work.
Exercise 2
Which of these statements best describes what is happening in this dialogue?
Which of these statements best describes what is happening in this dialogue?
Polly mocks Philip because she thinks he is only pretending to be sick, so she tells him that he has "ebola" - a very deadly, very contagious disease. Philip is not asking Polly for medical advice.
Philip calls Polly and tells her that he is feeling ill. Although Philip never tells Polly that he needs to stay at home, it's clear that this is the purpose of his call. The expression "to call in sick" means to call the office in order to announce to them that you will not come to work today. People use this expression both when they are sick, and when they simply want to take the day off!
There is no way that Polly could accept or reject Philip's doctor's note because he has not yet brought one to the office. This is why Polly says "don't forget to bring the doctor's note".
Polly suggests that Philip is "feeling a little under the weather", but this is an idiom which means that Philip is "feeling sick" and has nothing to do with the actual weather. To "complain" is to express one's dissatisfaction or resentment.
Exercise 3
"The Serious Fraud office has been called in".
Select the sentence(s) which use(s) the term "call in" correctly. There may be more than one correct answer!
Select the sentence(s) which use(s) the term "call in" correctly. There may be more than one correct answer!
"The Serious Fraud office has been called in".
Select the sentence(s) which use(s) the term "call in" correctly. There may be more than one correct answer!
Select the sentence(s) which use(s) the term "call in" correctly. There may be more than one correct answer!
This is a good choice. A "call-in radio programme" is a show where the host asks listeners to telephone the radio station, often to share their stories, opinions, or personal experiences.
This is correct. This sentence uses "call in" in the same way as the article, meaning "to ask someone to come". Let's look at another example: "The police have been called in to investigate the fire".
This is not a good choice. It would be better to say "I need to call my mother this afternoon".
This sentence uses "call in" correctly. To "call in sick" is to telephone your place of work to say that you are ill, and will not be going to work that day. Here's another example: "You should call in sick and spend the day shopping with me!".
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