Unit 2
The skeletal system
In this unit
lBones of the human skeleton: medical and
l Plural nouns of Latin origin
l Describing bones
l Adjectives describing anatomical position
l Bone structure
l Osteoporosis
common names
Warm-up
Working in pairs, list the functions of the human skeleton.
Listening
Bones of the human skeleton
Exercise 1 4
Listen and identify the bones in the picture below.
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Atlas
Axis
7 cervical vertebrae
12 thoracic vertebrae
5 lumbar vertebrae
Tail bone (coccyx)
Wrist bones (carpals)
Palm bones (metacarpals)
Finger bones (phalanges)
Ankle bone
(talus)
Foot bones (metatarsals)
Toe bones (phalanges)
Heel bone (calcaneus)
Tarsals
Skull (cranium)
Jaw bone (mandible)
Collarbone (clavicle)
Shoulder blade (scapula)
12 pairs of ribs
Breastbone (sternum)
Humerus
Ulna
Radius
Hip bone (os coxae)
Sacrum
Thigh bone (femur)
Kneecap (patella)
Shin bone (tibia)
Calf bone (fibula)
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NOTE
Over ninety per cent (90%) of technical terms in anatomy, surgery,
clinical medicine and laboratory medicine are of Greek, Latin and
Greco-Latin origin. Many of them have their English equivalents.
The technical terms are used in the literature and between health
professionals, but when you talk to patients, the rule is ‘English,
please!’
Exercise 2
4
Listen and repeat technical and common names of the bones.
Follow them in the picture.
Vocabulary building
Exercise 3
Complete the table giving medical and common names of the
following bones. How many can you name without referring
to the picture in Exercise 1? Can you remember more medical
terms or more common names?
Kość
Medical English name
Common name
czaszka
kość krzyżowa
kość łokciowa
kość piszczelowa
kość promieniowa
kość ramienna
kość strzałkowa
kość udowa
kości śródstopia
kości stępu
kręgosłup
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łopatka
mostek
obojczyk
paliczki
rzepka
żebra
żuchwa
Vocabulary
axial skeleton kościec osiowy
(głowy i tułowia)
appendicular skeleton kościec
kończyn
thoracic cage (rib cage) klatka
piersiowa
extremities (limbs) kończyny
shoulder girdle obręcz
kończyny górnej
Exercise 4
Read the description of the human skeleton adding the missing
names of the bones, either common or technical.
The skeleton of an adult human is formed by 206 bones. The
bones are organised into two groups known as the axial skeleton
and the appendicular skeleton.
The axial skeleton includes the skull and the bones of the trunk
(the vertebral column, rib cage and sternum, or 1……...…...).
The skull is made up of eight bones which form the cranium and
fourteen bones which make the skeleton of the face. The only
movable bone is the 2….……..…. or lower jaw bone. The spinal
column consists of 33 vertebrae. The rib cage (thoracic cage) is
formed of twelve pairs of ribs with the top seven pairs of ribs
attached directly to the 3………………. and known as true ribs.
The next five pairs are called false ribs because they are not joined
to the sternum directly. The 8th, 9th and 10th ribs are fused with the
rib above, but the 11th and 12th, called floating ribs, are unattached
in front.
The appendicular skeleton consists of the bones of extremities
(4……………..….) and the bones that attach them to the axial
skeleton.
The shoulder girdle is formed by the 5………………. or
collarbones and the scapulae, or 6……..…… . It supports the
upper limb attaching its skeleton to the axial skeleton. The bone of
the upper arm is called the 7………….…. . The 8………………..
is the outer and shorter bone of the forearm. The other bone, inner
and longer, is the 9…………..…… The wrist contains eight bones
called the 10…………….., each hand is formed of five bones
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Vocabulary
pelvic girdle obręcz kończyny
dolnej
flexible giętki, elastyczny
tough twardy, wytrzymały
framework szkielet
brain mózg
heart serce
lungs płuca
spinal cord rdzeń kręgowy
viscus, pl. viscera narząd
trzewny, trzewie
bone marrow szpik kostny
bloodstream krwiobieg
(11……………….) and each set of 12……….….. has 14 bones
known as phalanges.
The pelvic girdle consists of the right hip bone and the left
hip bone and connects the lower limbs to the axial skeleton. Each
lower limb has four bones. These are the femur, or 13………….…..
bone, the 14….............….., or kneecap, and two bones in the lower
leg which are the tibia, or 15…..........….. bone and the fibula. The
ankle contains seven bones (16…………….…..), the foot has five
bones (17…………..….) and each set of 18….................... contains
14 bones.
The bones are connected by joints (articulations) with tough
bands of white fibrous connective tissue known as ligaments.
Tendons, which are fibrous cords or bands attach the skeletal
muscles to the bones.
The skeleton, which is strong, movable and flexible, forms
the framework of the body and is responsible for movement
(locomotion). Its parts also protect soft tissues and internal organs.
The skull protects the brain, the rib cage protects the heart and the
lungs, the vertebral column protects the spinal cord and the pelvic
bones give some protection to the viscera. In the bone marrow
within bones blood cells are produced. The bones store calcium
and other minerals which are released into the bloodstream when
needed.
Exercise 5
In the text above, what bones do these numbers refer to?
Example: 1. There is only one (1) movable bone in the facial skeleton.
It is the mandible, or lower jaw.
2. 2  7.8
3. 3  8.12
4. 4  9.14
5. 5
10.33
6. 7
11.206
NOTE:
With many foreign nouns the original plural is used, with some
it is either the original plural or the more recently introduced
anglicised plural, e.g. one scapula but two scapulae or two scapulas.
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Listening
Exercise 6 5
Listen and repeat the names of the bones with their plurals.
singular
calcaneus
fibula
humerus
phalanx
radius
scapula
sternum
tibia
ulna
vertebrae
original plural
calcanei
fibulae
humeri
phalanges
radii
scapulae
sterna
tibiae
ulnae vertebrae
regular English plural
fibulas
scapulas
tibias
ulnas
Vocabulary building
Exercise 7
Complete the table with appropriate nouns or adjectives.
Noun
Adjective
axis
bony
cranial
ulna
tibial
radial
humerus
femoral
vertebra
clavicular
sternum
patella
rib
costal
coccygeal
sacral
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Exercise 8
Complete the table with the names of the bones under
appropriate heading. You may add your own examples.
calcaneus
sternum
metatarsals
metacarpals
tarsal
radius
femur
vertebra
scapula
humerus
facial bones
carpal bones
patella
vertebrae
tibia
Bone(s)
short
flat
long
sesamoid
triangular
irregular
Exercise 9
Identify the bones described below.
1. A paired long slender curved bone which forms the front part
of the shoulder girdle is called the clavicle, or collar bone.
2. A flat bone which forms the front part of the thoracic cage is
known as ………………, or ………… .
3. The bone of the upper arm is named ………………… .
4. The outer and shorter of the two bones of the forearm is
referred to as ……………… .
5. The small bone situated in front of the knee is called
………….., or ………………… .
6. The larger of the two bones of the lower leg is known as
……………., or …………… .
7. The eight bones which make up the wrist are named
……………… .
8. The five bones in the hand between the fingers and the wrist
are referred to as …………. .
9. Bones in fingers and toes are called ………………………… .
10. One of the ring-shaped bones which form the spine is called
…………… .
11. The longest, and the largest and strongest bone is the body is
named …………., or ……… .
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Exercise 10
Make your own descriptions of these bones. Work in pairs.
Take turns reading the descriptions to a partner, whose task is
to guess what bone you have described.
ulna
fibula
calcaneus
metatarsals
humerus
patella
Adjectives describing anatomical position
Exercise 11
The adjectives below are used to describe the relative position of
the body parts. Match each adjective (1–10) with its meaning
(a–j).
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1. superior
2. inferior
a. inside the body, further from the skin
b.above another part, higher up than another
part, closer to the head
c. at the back, behind
d. in front
e.below another part, lower down, closer to
the feet
f. closer to a point of attachment
g.towards or nearer to the midline of the
body
h. towards or nearer the side
i. located on or near the surface
j. farther away from the point of attachment
3. anterior
4. posterior
5. proximal
6. distal
7. medial
8. lateral
9. superficial
10. deep
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
c
Exercise 12
Use the adjectives to describe the position of these parts/organs
in relation to each other.
1. sternum/heart
The sternum is anterior to the heart. The heart is posterior to the
sternum.
2. vertebral column/sternum
3. wrist/elbow
4. muscles/skin
5. radius/ulna
6. fingers/wrist
7. chest/abdomen
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