Start with this short video, then scroll down for the full guide.
Why This Matters for Nursing: Clear documentation requires proper grammar. Understanding parts of speech helps you write accurate patient notes, understand medical literature, and communicate professionally.
Parts of speech are categories that describe how words function in sentences. There are eight main parts of speech.
"PAVPANIC" Pronoun, Adjective, Verb, Preposition, Adverb, Noun, Interjection, Conjunction
Or think: "Every sentence needs NOUNS and VERBS" — the two essential parts
What it is: Person, place, thing, or idea
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Common | nurse, hospital, medication |
| Proper | Dr. Smith, Memorial Hospital |
| Abstract | health, pain, anxiety |
| Collective | team, staff, family |
What it is: Replaces a noun
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Personal | I, you, he, she, it, we, they |
| Possessive | my, your, his, her, our, their |
| Reflexive | myself, yourself, themselves |
| Relative | who, which, that |
What it is: Action or state of being
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Action | run, administer, assess |
| Linking | is, are, was, were, seem |
| Helping | have, has, had, will, would, can |
What it is: Describes a noun
Examples: red, large, painful, careful, three In a sentence: "The careful nurse assessed the elderly patient."
What it is: Describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb Often ends in: -ly
Examples: quickly, carefully, very, extremely, never In a sentence: "She carefully administered the medication."
What it is: Shows relationship between words (location, time, direction)
Examples: in, on, at, by, with, under, over, between, through In a sentence: "The chart is on the desk by the window."
What it is: Connects words, phrases, or clauses
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Coordinating | for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS) |
| Subordinating | because, although, while, if, when |
| Correlative | both...and, either...or, neither...nor |
What it is: Expresses emotion (often followed by !)
Examples: Wow! Oh! Ouch! Hey! In a sentence: "Oh! I forgot to document that."
Sentence: "The nurse administered the medication."
Step 1 — Ask yourself: what is a noun? A noun is just a word for a person, place, thing, or idea. That's it.
Step 2 — Go through the sentence word by word and ask: "Is this a person, place, thing, or idea?" - The → No. "The" is an article — a tiny pointing word. Skip it. - nurse → Yes! A nurse is a person. ✓ Noun. - administered → No. This is an action — what the nurse did. That makes it a verb. - the → Article again. Skip. - medication → Yes! Medication is a thing. ✓ Noun.
Nouns: nurse, medication
🏥 TEAS Tip: Nouns are usually the subject (who does the action) or the object (what receives the action). Finding those two spots first makes sentence analysis much faster.
The worked examples and practice problems are the part that actually prepares you for the TEAS.
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