TEAS English common mistakes
TEAS English · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Joining two independent clauses with only a comma because the sentence sounds smooth when read aloud.
Spoken rhythm encourages writers to treat a pause as a grammatical boundary, so they stop checking whether each side has its own subject and verb.
What to do instead
Before choosing punctuation, identify the subject and finite verb on each side. If both sides can stand alone, use a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.
Adding an apostrophe to a plural noun, as in writing the student's are ready when the intended meaning is simply more than one student.
Writers overgeneralize possessive marking and do not test whether the word shows ownership or is merely plural.
What to do instead
Ask whether the noun owns something. If not, use a plain plural. For its and it's, substitute it is or it has only for it's.
Matching the verb to the noun nearest it instead of to the grammatical subject when a prepositional phrase intervenes.
Proximity overrides sentence structure, and long noun phrases strain working memory during timed exams.
What to do instead
Cross out prepositional phrases and appositives, then read the subject and verb together. Check indefinite pronouns and compound subjects separately.
Using a pronoun such as they or it when more than one noun could be its antecedent.
Conversational habits and a desire to avoid repetition lead writers to assume the reader will attach the pronoun to the intended noun.
What to do instead
Locate the antecedent. If two nouns could fit, repeat the intended noun or restructure the sentence so the reference is unmistakable.
Starting a sentence with a descriptive phrase without naming the noun that the phrase describes.
Writers know what they mean and unconsciously supply the missing actor, so they do not notice the dangling modifier.
What to do instead
After an introductory modifier, name the actor immediately. If the actor is missing, rewrite the main clause so the modifier has a clear target.
Using a semicolon before a list or a colon between two clauses that are not in an introduction-to-explanation relationship.
Punctuation marks are often learned as pauses rather than as signals of grammatical and logical relationships.
What to do instead
Use a semicolon only between independent clauses not joined by a conjunction. Use a colon after a complete clause to introduce a list, example, or explanation.
Choosing a word because it looks or sounds like a familiar word rather than because it fits the sentence's meaning.
Similar spelling or pronunciation creates false recognition, and time pressure discourages checking the surrounding context.
What to do instead
Substitute each choice into the sentence and test the meaning. Identify the part of speech needed and eliminate choices that change the sentence's logic.
Selecting the most common dictionary definition of an unfamiliar word without using the surrounding words as evidence.
Candidates treat vocabulary questions as pure recall and skip the sentence-level clues that narrow the meaning.
What to do instead
Underline contrast, cause-effect, and definition signals in the sentence. Predict a meaning before looking at the answer choices, then choose the closest match.
Choosing a transition word because it sounds sophisticated rather than because it matches the logical relationship between sentences.
Transition words are memorized as loose synonyms instead of as operators that signal contrast, addition, cause, or sequence.
What to do instead
Label the relationship between the two sentences first. Then select only a transition from that logical category and check that it preserves the intended meaning.
Keeping an answer choice because it is grammatically correct even when it is wordy, redundant, or poorly matched to the audience.
Candidates equate correctness with length and do not apply concision or tone as separate criteria.
What to do instead
Prefer the shortest choice that preserves meaning and tone. Delete redundant pairs, unnecessary qualifiers, and phrasing that is too casual or too formal for the stated audience.