suffering from/contracting/developing an unknown disease

Question

My friend was suffering from/contracting/developing an unknown disease and had to stay in hospital for two weeks.

Are the three bolded versions interchangeable and identical in meaning in the above? Thanks.

Yoong Liat · Accepted Answer

AngliholicMy friend was suffering from/contracting/developing an unknown disease and had to stay in hospital for two weeks.

Are the three bolded versions interchangeable and identical in meaning in the above? Thanks.

My friend was suffering from an unknown disease and had to stay in hospital for two weeks.

Angliholic · Answer

Yoong Liat
Angliholic
My friend was suffering from/contracting/developing an unknown disease and had to stay in hospital for two weeks.

Are the three bolded versions interchangeable and identical in meaning in the above? Thanks.

My friend was suffering from an unknown disease and had to stay in hospital for two weeks.

Thanks, Yoong.

But why don't the other two do the trick?

Pter · Answer

AngliholicMy friend was suffering from/contracting/developing an unknown disease and had to stay in hospital for two weeks.

Are the three bolded versions interchangeable and identical in meaning in the above? Thanks.

I think we can say he contracted a disease only if the disease is communicable. Yet, even for a communicable disease, using contracting is weird.

Developing would suggest that the disease is gradual and has different stages.

If the onset of the disease is sudden and the cause is unknown, I think using suffering from is more appropriate.

Angliholic · Answer

Pter
AngliholicMy friend was suffering from/contracting/developing an unknown disease and had to stay in hospital for two weeks.

Are the three bolded versions interchangeable and identical in meaning in the above? Thanks.

I think we can say he contracted a disease only if the disease is communicable. Yet, even for a communicable disease, using contracting is weird.

Developing would suggest that the disease is gradual and has different stages.

If the onset of the disease is sudden and the cause is unknown, I think using suffering from is more appropriate.

Thanks, Pter.

Got it!

By the way, I'd like to make sure that I understand correctly the two parts highlighted in blue.

Does "communicable" equate "infectious" or "contagious?"

Could I say "the beginning of the disease" instead of "the onset of the disease" without changing anyhting?

Yoong Liat · Answer

Hi Angliholic

By the way, I'd like to make sure that I understand correctly the two parts highlighted in blue.

Does "communicable" equate "infectious" or "contagious?" ('Communicable' means 'infectious'.)

Could I say "the beginning of the disease" instead of "the onset of the disease" without changing anyhting? (No, you should use 'the onset of the disease'.)

Pter · Answer

AngliholicDoes "communicable" equate "infectious" or "contagious?"

You can also get a communicable disease from food, e.g. germs from raw food. I think communicable is the superset and includes diseases that can be transmitted from person to person (infectious or contagious).

I am not exactly sure about the difference between infectious and contagious. But normally, contagious is used when the disease is transmitted by touching a person or his/her clothes.

suffering from/contracting/developing an unknown disease

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