5.1 Grammar and the Parts of Speech

ATI TEAS 7 Nursing Admission

Track your progress as you read

Finished sections get a check mark.

1 Introduction to the ATI TEAS 7

1.1 About the ATI TEAS 7 Exam 1.2 Content Area Breakdown 1.3 Scoring and Program Requirements 1.4 Building Your TEAS Study Plan

2 Reading

2.1 Identifying the Main Idea 2.2 Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions 2.3 Summarizing and Paraphrasing 2.4 Understanding Text Structure 2.5 Author's Purpose, Tone, and Point of View 2.6 Evaluating Arguments, Evidence, and Credibility 2.7 Integrating Information and Interpreting Graphics 2.8 TEAS Reading Strategies, Pacing, and Practice

3 Mathematics

3.1 Whole Numbers and Basic Operations 3.2 Fractions 3.3 Decimals and Percentages 3.4 Ratios and Proportions 3.5 Algebra and Equations 3.6 Measurement and Unit Conversions 3.7 Statistics and Data Interpretation 3.8 Geometry Basics

4 Science

4.1 The Cardiovascular System 4.2 The Respiratory System 4.3 The Digestive System 4.4 The Nervous System 4.5 The Musculoskeletal System 4.6 The Urinary and Reproductive Systems 4.7 Cell Biology and Genetics 4.8 Chemistry Basics 4.9 Scientific Reasoning and the Scientific Method

5 English & Language Usage

5.1 Grammar and the Parts of Speech 5.2 Sentence Structure 5.3 Punctuation 5.4 Spelling and Word Usage 5.5 Vocabulary in Context and Word Parts 5.6 Paragraph Organization and the Writing Process 5.7 Formal vs. Informal Language, Audience, and Tone 5.8 TEAS English Section Strategies and Pacing

5.1 Grammar and the Parts of Speech

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

English has eight parts of speech: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection

Subject-verb agreement requires a singular subject to take a singular verb and a plural subject a plural verb, even when words separate them

Pronoun-antecedent agreement means a pronoun must match its antecedent in number, gender, and person

The six common verb tenses (present, past, future, plus their perfect forms) each place an action at a specific time

Subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) act as the doer; object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) receive the action

Last updated: October 2026

Why Grammar Is the Backbone of the TEAS English Section

The ATI TEAS 7 English & Language Usage section contains 28 scored questions divided across three reporting categories, and grammar questions appear in every one of them. Before you can fix a comma splice or pick the right word, you must recognize how each word is functioning in a sentence. That is what the parts of speech tell you. A single word such as "light" can be a noun (turn on the light ), a verb ( light the lamp), or an adjective (a light meal) depending on its job in the sentence, so the test rewards function over memorized labels.

The Eight Parts of Speech

Every English word belongs to one of eight categories. Knowing the function of each lets you diagnose grammar errors quickly under the section's tight time limit.

• Part of Speech Function Examples
• Noun Names a person, place, thing, or idea nurse, clinic, chart, recovery
• Pronoun Stands in for a noun she, they, it, who, themselves
• Verb Shows action or a state of being charts, administers, is, became
• Adjective Describes a noun or pronoun sterile, three, anxious, blue
• Adverb Modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb quickly, very, often, well
• Preposition Shows relationship of position or time in, under, before, between
• Conjunction Joins words, phrases, or clauses and, but, because, although
• Interjection Expresses sudden emotion oh, ouch, wow, hey

A reliable trick: adjectives answer which one, what kind, or how many, while adverbs answer how, when, where, or to what extent. Most—but not all—adverbs end in -ly (note that "friendly" is an adjective and "fast" is an adverb without -ly).

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement is a core Conventions skill. The rule is simple: a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb. The difficulty comes when words sit between the subject and the verb.

Intervening phrases do not change the subject. In "The box of gloves is on the cart," the subject is box (singular), not gloves , so the verb is is .

• Compound subjects joined by and are plural. "The doctor and the nurse review the chart."
• With or / nor , the verb agrees with the nearer subject. "Neither the patients nor the nurse was available."

Indefinite pronouns are usually singular. Each, everyone, somebody, neither, and anyone take singular verbs: "Everyone needs an ID badge."

Collective nouns (team, staff, committee) are usually singular in American English: "The staff meets on Mondays."

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent —the noun it replaces—in number, gender, and person.

Number: "A nurse should wash her hands" (singular) vs. " Nurses should wash their hands" (plural).

Vague antecedents are an error: "When the doctor saw the patient, he was tired" is unclear because he could be either person.

Indefinite-pronoun antecedents stay singular: " Everyone turned in his or her form," or, more naturally today, recast as plural: " All students turned in their forms."

Subject vs. Object Pronouns

Use a subject pronoun (I, he, she, we, they, who) when the pronoun does the action, and an object pronoun (me, him, her, us, them, whom) when it receives the action. A quick test: drop the other person. "The doctor thanked the nurses and (I / me)" becomes "The doctor thanked me ," so me is correct. Reflexive pronouns ( myself, herself ) should only point back to the subject—never use "myself" as a plain subject or object.

Verb Tenses and Consistency

Verb tense places an action in time. The TEAS expects you to keep tense consistent within a passage and to choose the perfect tenses correctly.

• Tense Example When It Is Used
• Simple present She charts vitals Habitual or current action
• Simple past She charted vitals Completed action
• Simple future She will chart vitals Action yet to happen
• Present perfect She has charted vitals Past action with present relevance
• Past perfect She had charted vitals Earlier of two past actions
• Future perfect She will have charted vitals Completed before a future point

A common error is an unnecessary tense shift: "She checked the patient and gives the medication" should read " checked … gave ."

• Worked Example: Choose the correct verb: "The list of approved medications ___ updated every quarter."
• Options: (A) are (B) is (C) were (D) have been

Step 1 – Find the true subject. Strip the prepositional phrase "of approved medications." The subject is list , which is singular.

Step 2 – Match number. A singular subject needs a singular verb, eliminating are , were , and have been .

Step 3 – Confirm tense. "every quarter" signals a habitual present action, so the simple present is fits.

Answer: (B) is. The distractor medications (plural) right before the blank is the trap; agreement always follows the head noun list , not the object of the preposition.