TEAS 7 English and Language Usage flashcards
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How to spell by rule instead of by eye
- What is the ie/ei spelling rule?
- Use ie for the long-e sound (believe), except after c (receipt). Use ei for the long-a sound (weight). Memorize the exceptions.
- Name the common ie/ei exceptions to memorize.
- Either, neither, seize, weird, protein, caffeine, and leisure. Words like science are outside the rule because they lack the long-e sound.
- What happens to a silent e when you add an ending?
- Drop it before a vowel ending (hope, hoping). Keep it before a consonant ending (care, careful).
- When do you double the final consonant before a vowel ending?
- When the word ends in one vowel plus one consonant and has one syllable or stress on the last syllable: planning, referred. Profited does not double.
- How do you add -ed or -ing to a word ending in consonant plus y?
- Change y to i before -ed (carry, carried). Keep the y before -ing (carrying). After a vowel, keep y (stayed).
- Its or it's: "The clinic changed ___ hours."
- Its. Its shows ownership. It's always means it is or it has. Swap in it is to test.
- How do you make an ordinary plural?
- Add -s to most words, as in two nurses, with no apostrophe. Add -es after s, ss, sh, ch, x, or z (boxes).
- How do you make a word ending in y plural?
- Consonant plus y changes to -ies (injuries). Vowel plus y just adds -s (days).
- Affect or effect: "Caffeine can ___ sleep."
- Affect. Affect is usually the verb and effect is usually the noun. The blank needs a verb.
- Than or then: "The pill worked faster ___ the syrup."
- Than. Than compares; then tells time or what comes next.
How to punctuate by rule, not by pause
- What are the correct ways to join two complete sentences?
- A period, a semicolon, or a comma plus for, and, nor, but, or, yet, or so. A comma alone makes a comma splice.
- Fix with a semicolon: "The test was long, however most students finished."
- "The test was long; however, most students finished." Put a semicolon before however and a comma after it.
- When is a colon correct?
- Only after a complete sentence. "Bring two things: your badge and a pen" is right. "Bring: your badge and a pen" is wrong.
- Write the possessive: the lounge belonging to the nurses.
- The nurses' lounge. A plural ending in s adds only an apostrophe. A plural not ending in s adds 's, as in the children's ward.
- Add commas? "Patients who miss two visits must reschedule."
- No. Delete the clause: the meaning changes, so it is essential and takes no commas. Nonessential information gets a pair of commas.
- In US English, where do periods and commas go with closing quotation marks?
- Inside the quotation marks. Colons and semicolons go outside. Example: "Take a seat," the clerk said.
- When do you put a comma before a word like and, but, or so?
- When the word joins two independent clauses. Example: "The lab closed early, so the samples went downstairs."
- Comma or not: "The aide washed her hands and put on gloves."
- No comma. The two verbs share one subject, so the second part has no subject of its own.
- When do you use commas in a series?
- Between items in a series of three or more: "We need gloves, gowns, and masks." The comma before the final and is a style choice.
How to build and fix a complete sentence
- What is a sentence fragment?
- A word group punctuated as a sentence that lacks a subject, a verb, or a complete thought. "Because the lab was closed." is a fragment.
- Name the four sentence types by their clauses.
- Simple: one independent. Compound: two or more independent. Complex: one independent plus at least one dependent. Compound-complex: two or more independent plus at least one dependent.
- What is the difference between a run-on and a comma splice?
- A run-on has nothing between two independent clauses. A comma splice has only a comma between them. Both need a stronger joint.
- What do because, although, when, and if signal at the start of a clause?
- A dependent clause. It has a subject and verb but cannot stand alone. On its own it is a fragment.
- Is "The aide checked and restocked the shelf" a compound sentence?
- No. Two verbs that share one subject make one clause, so the sentence is simple, not compound.
How to fix unclear sentences with rules, not by ear
- Fix: "The list of supplies are on the cart."
- "The list of supplies is on the cart." The true subject is list. Cross out the phrase "of supplies" and say list is.
- Do each, everyone, and nobody take a singular or plural verb?
- Singular. Example: "Everyone on the night shift has a badge."
- How can you choose between who and whom?
- Answer the question with he or him. He means who; him means whom. "Whom did the manager call?" works because the manager called him.
- Fix the unclear pronoun: "Mia told Rosa that she passed the exam."
- If Mia passed: Mia told Rosa, "I passed the exam." She could mean either woman, and a pronoun must point to one clear noun.
- Keep the opening phrase and fix: "Rushing to the bus, my coffee spilled."
- "Rushing to the bus, I spilled my coffee." An opening phrase describes the noun right after the comma, and a coffee cannot rush.
- Fix: "The job involves lifting boxes, to answer phones, and data entry."
- "The job involves lifting boxes, answering phones, and entering data." Items joined by and or or must share one grammatical form.
- Was or were: "Neither the aides nor the supervisor ___ told."
- Was. With neither/nor, the verb agrees with the closer subject, supervisor. It is correct even if it sounds odd.
- Fix: "There is two forms to sign."
- "There are two forms to sign." The real subject, forms, comes after the verb, so look ahead to choose is or are.
- Fix: "Yesterday the visitor walked to the lobby and asks for a map."
- "Yesterday the visitor walked to the lobby and asked for a map." Verbs stay in one tense unless the time really changes.
How to choose words that fit the reader and the purpose
- Which tone fits writing to an instructor, an employer, or a stranger?
- A formal, polite tone. Save casual wording for friends. Slang is usually too casual for academic and workplace writing.
- Rewrite for the public: "Results will post to the EHR in 24 hrs."
- "Your results will appear in your online health record within 24 hours." Replace jargon and abbreviations with plain words for a general reader.
- Replace with one word each: "due to the fact that" and "in the event that."
- Because replaces "due to the fact that." If replaces "in the event that." Concise writing cuts filler words.
- How can you tell a sentence is passive?
- It uses a form of be plus a past participle, and the receiver comes first. "The forms were collected by the receptionist" is passive.
- Rewrite in active voice: "The meeting was led by Dr. Brooks."
- "Dr. Brooks led the meeting." Put the doer first as the subject. Active voice is usually clearer and shorter.
- Why is the shortest answer choice sometimes wrong in a concise-writing item?
- It may drop a needed fact. Concise means no wasted words, not fewer ideas. Keep every fact the reader needs.
How to build and fix a well-organized paragraph
- What two parts make up a topic sentence?
- A topic plus a controlling idea. The controlling idea limits what the paragraph will say about the topic.
- How do you spot the off-topic sentence in a paragraph?
- It matches the general subject but not the controlling idea. Check each sentence against the controlling idea, not just the shared key words.
- When is a topic sentence choice too narrow or too broad?
- Too narrow means it fits only one detail. Too broad means it could start a whole book. The best one covers every detail in the paragraph.
- Which transition words signal contrast, and which signal cause and effect?
- Contrast: however, but, on the other hand. Cause and effect: as a result, therefore, so. Pick the word that matches the real relationship.
- What makes a good concluding sentence?
- It sums up this paragraph's idea in new words. It does not add a new detail or topic, and it does not make a sweeping claim.
- When putting sentences in order, which kind rarely opens the paragraph?
- One that starts with a pronoun like this or these, or a transition like then or as a result. Those words point back to earlier sentences.
How the writing process works, from first idea to final check
- List the five stages of the writing process in order.
- Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading. Writers can loop back to any stage as needed.
- How does revising differ from editing?
- Revising changes big things: ideas, order, and support. Editing improves sentences: clearer wording, fewer extra words, and better structure.
- Which stage is changing "recieve" to "receive"?
- Proofreading, the last pass for spelling, punctuation, and typos. Revising changes ideas, order, or support instead.
- Does a paraphrase need a citation?
- Yes. Changing the words does not change where the idea came from. A quotation also needs quotation marks.
- How do you pick the best revision of a sentence?
- Cross out choices with grammar errors or dropped or changed facts. Pick the clearest of the rest in the fewest words.
- What are signs of wordiness in a sentence?
- Filler words (basically), redundant pairs (end result), repeated ideas (broken and not working), and redundant categories (large in size).
How to decode a word from its roots, prefixes and suffixes
- What do hypo- and hyper- mean?
- Hypo- means under or deficient; hyper- means above or excessive. Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar; hyperglycemia is high blood sugar.
- What do brady- and tachy- mean?
- Brady- means slow; tachy- means fast. Bradycardia is a slow heart rate; tachycardia is a fast one.
- What do the suffixes -ectomy, -otomy, and -ostomy mean?
- -ectomy is removal. -otomy is an incision, or cutting into. -ostomy is making an opening. A gastrectomy removes part or all of the stomach.
- What is the difference between the suffixes -itis and -megaly?
- -itis means inflammation; -megaly means enlargement. Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, not an enlarged liver.
- What do peri- and endo- mean?
- Peri- means around; endo- means within. Pericarditis is inflammation around the heart, not inside it.
- Which body parts do cardi-, hepat-, gastr-, and nephr- name?
- Heart, liver, stomach, and kidney. Ren- also means kidney.
- What does a prefix do?
- It comes before the root and changes the meaning, often telling where, how much, or how fast. Example: brady- means slow.
- What does a root do?
- It carries the core meaning of the word, often a body part. Example: cardi- means heart.
- What does a suffix do?
- It comes at the end of the word and tells what kind of thing it is, such as a condition or procedure. Example: -itis means inflammation.
How to work out a word's meaning and avoid look-alike word mix-ups
- Name the four types of context clues.
- Definition, synonym, contrast, and example clues. Signal words such as means, or, but, and such as often point to the clue.
- Which signal words show a contrast clue?
- But, however, unlike, and even though. The unknown word means the opposite of something nearby, so check which side of the signal word it sits on.
- Adverse or averse: "The drug had few ___ effects."
- Adverse. Adverse means unfavorable (adverse effects). Averse means opposed to (averse to change). Choose by meaning, not by sound.
- What is the difference between precede and proceed?
- Precede means to come before. Proceed means to continue or go on. Example: A safety talk will precede the drill.
- Prescribe or proscribe: "The rules ___ smoking on campus, so smokers must leave."
- Proscribe, which means ban or forbid. Prescribe means to set a rule or recommend something, such as a treatment.
- What does exacerbate mean?
- To make an existing problem worse. The problem must already be there. Exacerbate does not mean to cause a new problem.
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