The term or word stroke comes from a Greek root which means “a strike or a blow.” A cardinal feature of a stroke is its suddenness of onset. So these symptoms don't gradually come on, they usually come on right away as soon as the problem occurs. And there are several symptoms that are very commonly seen amongst most strokes. Most strokes have some element of weakness to them. And weakness is distributed in a way that it typically involves one half of the body or the other, such as the right or left side. That can be associated with numbness or changes in sensations. While slurred speech is very common, visual problems are common as well and they may include an inability to see to one side or another as well as double vision.