Medicines · Health
over the counter
without prescription
Over-the-counter medicine can be bought without a doctor's prescription.
This vs that
You can buy it over the counter.
You need a prescription for it.
Hear it in real life
Do I need to see the doctor for something stronger?
Probably. This one is only available over the counter.
You can get a mild painkiller over the counter at most chemists.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
Over the counter is the normal everyday phrase for medicine that does not need a prescription.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: You can buy this medicine over ‸ counter.
Say: You can buy this medicine over the counter.
Keep 'the' in this fixed phrase.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
available over the counter
This cream is available over the counter at most chemists.
You can buy some cold remedies over the counter.
Medicines words
Health · Medicines: the words around “over the counter”.
More connectionsMore medicines words7
Your turn: say it out loud
You can get it over the counter.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
over the counter
without prescription
“You can get a mild painkiller over the counter at most chemists.”
heytardy