TEAS English cheat sheet

Subject-verb agreement: a singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb; phrases between the subject and verb do not change the subject's number.

Compound subjects joined by 'and' usually take a plural verb; with 'or' or 'nor,' the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number, gender, and person; singular indefinite pronouns such as everyone traditionally take singular pronouns.

Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction when it joins two independent clauses, but not when it joins a compound predicate or short phrase.

A semicolon can join two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction; it can also separate items in a complex list.

A colon follows a complete independent clause and introduces a list, explanation, or quotation; it should not separate a verb from its object.

Add apostrophe plus s to a singular noun to show possession; for a plural noun ending in s, add only an apostrophe after the s.

'Its' is a possessive pronoun showing ownership, while 'it's' is a contraction meaning 'it is' or 'it has'; they are not interchangeable.

A modifier must clearly attach to the word it describes; a dangling modifier occurs when the intended noun is missing or misplaced in the sentence.

Items in a list, comparison, or pair must share the same grammatical form, such as all nouns, all verbs, or all infinitive phrases.

A comma splice incorrectly joins two independent clauses with only a comma; repair it with a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction.

Transition words signal relationships such as addition, contrast, cause-effect, example, or sequence; choose the transition that matches the logical connection between ideas.

In active voice the subject performs the action, while in passive voice the subject receives it; active voice is usually clearer and more concise.

Concise writing removes unnecessary words and redundancy while preserving meaning; replace wordy phrases with direct equivalents whenever possible.

Formal academic writing avoids slang, contractions, and overly casual language; it uses precise vocabulary and complete sentences suited to the audience and purpose.

A unified paragraph develops one main idea: the topic sentence states it, and each supporting sentence explains or illustrates that same idea.

A pronoun should refer unmistakably to one antecedent; repeat the noun or revise the sentence when 'this' or 'it' could point to multiple ideas.

Combine short, related sentences to show relationships and improve flow; use coordination for equal ideas and subordination for less important ideas.

Denotation is a word's literal dictionary meaning, while connotation is its implied emotional association; choose words that fit both meaning and tone.

The audience and purpose determine tone, vocabulary, and amount of explanation; adjust formality and detail to meet readers' needs and expectations.

Organize ideas in a clear order such as chronological, spatial, cause-effect, or order of importance; each paragraph should follow logically from the previous one.

Context clues are nearby words, phrases, or sentence structures that help a reader infer an unfamiliar word's meaning, including definitions, synonyms, antonyms, and examples.

A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a base word that changes its meaning, such as 'un-' meaning not or 're-' meaning again.

A suffix is a word part added to the end of a base word that changes its meaning or part of speech, such as '-less' or '-tion'.

A root is the core meaning-bearing part of a word; knowing common roots such as 'bio' (life) or 'spect' (see) helps decode unfamiliar words.

Denotation is the literal dictionary meaning of a word; connotation is the emotional or cultural association it carries, which can affect tone.

Homophones are words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings, such as 'their,' 'there,' and 'they're'; context determines the correct choice.

A synonym is a word with a similar meaning to another word, while an antonym is a word with an opposite meaning; both relationships help clarify vocabulary.

Analogies compare pairs of words by relationships such as part to whole, cause to effect, or synonym; identify the relationship in the first pair before choosing the second.

A simile compares two unlike things using 'like' or 'as,' while a metaphor states that one thing is another without using those comparison words.

Personification gives human qualities or actions to nonhuman things, animals, or abstract ideas, often creating vivid imagery or emotional effect in writing.

A multiple-meaning word has more than one dictionary definition; sentence context and grammatical role indicate which meaning the author intends.