HESI A2 Grammar key terms

A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea, such as 'nurse,' 'clinic,' or 'health.' Nouns can be singular or plural, common or proper, and concrete or abstract.

A word that replaces a noun or noun phrase so it need not be repeated, such as 'she,' 'it,' or 'them.' The noun it refers to is called its antecedent.

The noun or noun phrase that a pronoun stands in for. In 'The patient said he was dizzy,' 'patient' is the antecedent of 'he,' and the two must agree in number and gender.

A word that expresses an action or a state of being, such as 'measure,' 'assess,' or 'is.' Every complete sentence needs at least one verb, and it must agree with the subject.

The noun or pronoun that performs the action or is described by the verb in a clause. Finding the subject is the first step in checking subject-verb agreement and pronoun case.

The part of a sentence containing the verb and everything said about the subject. In 'The nurse checked the chart,' the predicate is 'checked the chart.'

A word that modifies a noun or pronoun by describing a quality, quantity, or which one, such as 'febrile,' 'three,' or 'this.' Adjectives answer questions like what kind or how many.

A word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb, often telling how, when, where, or to what degree, such as 'quickly,' 'very,' or 'yesterday.' Many adverbs end in -ly.

A word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence, such as 'in,' 'before,' 'with,' or 'between.' Prepositions begin prepositional phrases.

A group of words beginning with a preposition and ending with its object, such as 'after the surgery' or 'in the chart.' These phrases are never the grammatical subject of a sentence.

A word that joins words, phrases, or clauses. Coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) link equal parts; subordinating conjunctions (because, although, if) introduce dependent clauses.

A group of words containing a subject and a verb. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence; a dependent clause cannot and must be attached to an independent clause.

A clause that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought, so it can stand alone as a sentence. Two independent clauses joined without punctuation create a run-on.

A clause with a subject and verb that does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone, often beginning with a subordinating word such as 'because' or 'when.'

A group of related words that lacks either a subject or a verb or both, so it cannot form a sentence by itself. Examples include 'on the table' and 'to monitor vital signs.'

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person: singular subjects take singular verbs, plural subjects take plural verbs. Interrupting phrases do not change the subject's number.

The rule that a pronoun must match its antecedent in number and gender. A singular antecedent such as 'each nurse' requires a singular pronoun, and a plural antecedent requires a plural pronoun.

A singular word naming a group of people or things, such as 'team,' 'staff,' or 'committee.' In American English these usually take singular verbs unless members act individually.

A pronoun that does not point to a specific person or thing, such as 'everyone,' 'each,' 'someone,' or 'none.' Most are singular and take singular verbs, though some can be plural.

A pronoun ending in -self or -selves that refers back to the subject, such as 'herself' or 'themselves.' It should not be used where a plain subject or object pronoun is required.

The form a pronoun takes depending on its role: subjective (I, he, she, they), objective (me, him, her, them), or possessive (my, his, their). Choosing the wrong case is a common grammar error.

The noun or pronoun that follows a preposition and completes its meaning. It must take the objective case, as in 'between you and me,' not 'between you and I.'

The form of a verb that shows when an action occurs: past, present, or future. Verb tense must stay consistent within a sentence unless the meaning clearly requires a shift.

A verb used with a main verb to form a tense, mood, or question, such as 'is,' 'have,' 'will,' or 'can.' Together they create verb phrases like 'has been improving.'

A word, phrase, or clause that describes or limits another word. A modifier should sit close to the word it describes; when it does not, the result is a misplaced or dangling modifier.

A descriptive phrase that has no logical word to modify in the sentence, as in 'Walking to the car, the rain began.' The phrase should clearly describe the subject of the main clause.

The form of an adjective used to compare two things, usually made by adding -er or using 'more,' as in 'faster' or 'more careful.' Use it only when exactly two items are compared.

The form of an adjective used to compare three or more things, usually made by adding -est or using 'most,' as in 'fastest' or 'most careful.' It identifies the extreme within a group.

An incomplete sentence that is punctuated as if it were complete, usually missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought. Fragments must be joined to a nearby independent clause or completed.

Two or more independent clauses joined without correct punctuation or a conjunction. It can be fixed with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

A specific run-on error in which two independent clauses are joined by only a comma. It is corrected with a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction.

A punctuation mark used to separate items in a list, set off introductory or nonessential material, and join an independent clause to a coordinating conjunction. It never joins two independent clauses alone.

A punctuation mark that joins two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction, or separates list items that already contain commas. What follows it must be able to stand alone.

A punctuation mark that introduces a list, explanation, or quotation after a complete independent clause. The clause before the colon must be grammatically complete on its own.

A punctuation mark used to show possession ('the patient's chart') or to mark a contraction ('don't'). A plural possessive places the apostrophe after the final s.

The grammatical form showing ownership or close association, usually created with an apostrophe plus s for singular nouns and a bare apostrophe for plural nouns ending in s.

Punctuation placed around a speaker's exact words or a title of a short work. In American usage, periods and commas go inside the closing quotation mark.

The practice of expressing items in a series or comparison in the same grammatical form, such as all verbs or all nouns. Parallel items are easier to read and are required in formal writing.

A sentence construction in which the subject performs the action, as in 'The nurse recorded the vitals.' Active voice is usually clearer and more direct than passive voice.

A construction in which the subject receives the action, formed with a form of 'be' plus a past participle, as in 'The vitals were recorded.' It is useful when the doer is unknown or unimportant.