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Please imagine your doctor orders you some laboratory tests and you go to a pathology laboratory. The secretary asks you how can we help you? You respond:

  • I must get a (blood / urine / etc.) test.

  • I must have a (blood / urine / etc.) test.

  • I must give a (blood / urine / etc.) test.

As a test I examined blood in all three structures and got some hits, but the problem is that I don't know which one is natural in this case.

I would appreciate it if you could help me find the best choice here.

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    With Ngram results, it is safe to assume that if one of them occurs far more often than another, it will be the natural choice, and also safe to assume that if one of them is barely a blip, it shouldn't be used. give is not a good choice. But get or have are both natural.
    – TimR
    Jan 31, 2017 at 22:55
  • Thank you for the help @TRomano. I knew it already, but you know well that Google Ngram as a tool doesn't have a sufficient intelligence to verify if the word I am searching is the right one in the meaning I am looking for too. Otherwise why should I have asked this question at all? ;)
    – A-friend
    Jan 31, 2017 at 23:11
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    "I am here for a blood test."
    – WRX
    Feb 1, 2017 at 0:28

1 Answer 1

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As a patient, you would say:

I must get a (blood / urine / etc.) test

I'm here for a (blood / urine / etc.) test

I must give a (blood / urine / etc.) sample for a test.

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    Another response can be "I have been told by my doctor to have my (blood/urine/etc.) tested" Jan 31, 2017 at 23:03

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