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Why This Matters for Nursing: Complete, clear sentences ensure your documentation is understood correctly. Fragments and run-ons create confusion that could affect patient care.
A complete sentence must have: 1. A subject (who or what) 2. A verb (action or state of being) 3. A complete thought
Complete sentence = SVT - Subject (who/what) - Verb (did what) - Complete Thought (makes sense alone)
Fragments = Missing pieces Run-ons = Too many pieces jammed together
A fragment is an incomplete sentence — it's missing a subject, verb, or complete thought.
| Type | Example | Problem |
|---|---|---|
| Missing subject | "Administered the medication." | WHO administered? |
| Missing verb | "The patient in Room 4." | Did what? |
| Dependent clause alone | "Because the patient was stable." | Incomplete thought |
Fragment: "Because the patient was stable." Fixed: "Because the patient was stable, she was discharged."
Fragment: "The nurse in the emergency room." Fixed: "The nurse in the emergency room assessed the patient."
A run-on joins two or more complete sentences incorrectly.
Fused sentence: No punctuation between clauses - ✗ "The patient improved she went home."
Comma splice: Only a comma between clauses - ✗ "The patient improved, she went home."
| Method | Example |
|---|---|
| 1. Period (two sentences) | "The patient improved. She went home." |
| 2. Semicolon | "The patient improved; she went home." |
| 3. Comma + FANBOYS | "The patient improved, so she went home." |
| 4. Subordinating conjunction | "Because the patient improved, she went home." |
| Type | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | One independent clause | "The nurse checked vitals." |
| Compound | Two independent clauses (joined) | "The nurse checked vitals, and she documented." |
| Complex | Independent + dependent clause | "When the patient arrived, the nurse assessed him." |
| Compound-Complex | Two+ independent + dependent | "When he arrived, the nurse assessed him, and she called the doctor." |
| Type | Purpose | End Punctuation |
|---|---|---|
| Declarative | Makes a statement | Period (.) |
| Interrogative | Asks a question | Question mark (?) |
| Imperative | Gives a command | Period (.) |
| Exclamatory | Shows strong emotion | Exclamation mark (!) |
| Type | Can Stand Alone? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | Yes | "The patient is stable." |
| Dependent | No | "Because the patient is stable..." |
Dependent clause markers: because, although, when, while, if, since, after, before, unless, until
Which is a fragment? - A) The nurse documented the findings. - B) While checking the patient's vitals.
Step 1 — Check option A using the SVT test (Subject + Verb + complete Thought): - Subject: nurse ✓ - Verb: documented ✓ - Complete thought: "The nurse documented the findings." → Does this make sense on its own? Yes. ✓ - Result: Complete sentence.
Step 2 — Check option B using the SVT test: - Subject: (implied someone) — actually, there's no clear subject stated. - Verb: checking — but this is part of a dependent phrase, not a main verb. - Complete thought: "While checking the patient's vitals." → Does this make sense on its own? No — you're left wondering: what happened while checking? ✗ - Result: Fragment — it's a dependent clause dangling alone.
Step 3 — "While" is a subordinating conjunction (a dependent clause marker). Whenever a clause starts with while, because, although, when, if, since, etc., it needs an independent clause to complete the thought.
Answer: B — it's a fragment because "While checking the patient's vitals" is a dependent clause with no main clause attached.
How to fix it: "While checking the patient's vitals, the nurse noticed a change." Now it's complete.
The worked examples and practice problems are the part that actually prepares you for the TEAS.
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