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There is a single structure in our language which is used to refer to some parts of body when they get twisted. We say X twisted. e.g. my right ankle twisted. Your audience would promptly get the point that there is something wrong with your ankle and they would be sure you have not done it deliberately.

But whereas in similar examples I have come across with somewhat the same situation, I guess the logic in English says a part of someone's body cannot be twisted automatically and you or sometimes someone else can do it. Now, based on my taking (either right or wrong) please let me know which sentence is normal English in the following list of mine:

a- My ankle twisted. [The most natural to e based on my language.]

b- My ankle was twisted. [The other possible natural way of saying the same thing based on what we can say in our language]

c- I twisted my ankle. [My taking of the way such a sentence should be said naturally in English.]

d- I got twisted my ankle. [The same as the previous one.]

2 Answers 2

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In AmE, I would say the most common way among your choices would be I twisted my ankle. It tells us that you have a sprained ankle.

A sprained ankle, also known as an ankle sprain, twisted ankle, rolled ankle, floppy ankle, or just ankle injury, is a common injury where sprain occur on one or more ligaments of the ankle.

I've never heard of a "floppy ankle", but as you can imagine, you can use those verbs like the following:

  • I have a sprained ankle.
  • I sprained my ankle.
  • I rolled my ankle.
  • Etc.

Your first two choices are grammatical, but to me they sound more like observations rather than injuries. The last option is wrong. You mean I got my ankle twisted.

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  • I have heard use of the "floppy <body part>" in reference, usually, to a break in a bone, that leaves the body part flopping around.
    – rbrtl
    Commented Apr 26, 2019 at 16:05
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c- I twisted my ankle.

That works perfectly. The idiom 'twisted my ankle' is common usage.

A sprained ankle, also known as an ankle sprain, twisted ankle, rolled ankle, floppy ankle, or just ankle injury, is a common injury where sprain occur on one or more ligaments of the ankle. Wikipedia link

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  • Please edit to include an explanation of why this is correct; answers without explanation do not teach the patterns of the language well. Commented Jan 31, 2017 at 22:54

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