Grammar

4 Grammar

In the United States, the ability to speak and write the English language using proper grammar is a sign of an educated individual. When people are sick and need information or care from individuals in the health professions, they expect health care workers to be professional, well-educated individuals. It is therefore imperative that anyone in the health care professions understand and use proper grammar.

Grammar varies a great deal from language to language. English as a second language (ESL) students have an added burden to becoming successful. For example, nursing research literature indicates that ESL nursing students are at greater risk for attrition and failure of the licensing examination. However, this burden can be overcome by learning proper grammar.

This chapter describes the parts of speech, important terms and their uses in grammar, commonly occurring grammatical errors, and suggestions for successful use of grammar.

From this day forward, listen only to English-speaking radio and television. If at all possible, speak only English at home and with friends.

Eight Parts of Speech

The eight parts of speech are nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

Pronoun

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun, another pronoun, or a group of words acting as a noun. The word or group of words to which a pronoun refers is called the antecedent.

The students wanted their test papers graded and returned to them in a timely manner.

The word students is the antecedent of the pronouns their and them.

Personal Pronoun

A personal pronoun refers to a specific person, place, thing, or idea by indicating the person speaking (first person), the person or people spoken to (second person), or any other person, place, thing, or idea being talked about (third person).

Personal pronouns also express number in that they are either singular or plural.

We [first person plural] were going to ask you [second person singular] to give them

a ride to the office.

Adjective

An adjective is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies a noun (the biology book) or pronoun (He is nice.). It answers the question what kind (a hard test), which one (an English test), how many (three tests), or how much (many tests). Verbs, pronouns, and nouns can act as adjectives. A type of verb form that functions as an adjective is a participle, which usually ends in -ing or -ed. Adjectives usually precede the noun or noun phrase that they modify (e.g., the absent-minded professor).

Examples

The scowling professor, the worried student, the broken pencil

My book, your class, that book, this class

The professor’s class, the biology class

Do not use the word more with certain adjectives, for example, those ending in er. It is improper grammar to say or to write more better or more harder. Likewise, do not use the word most with adjectives that end in –est or –st. It is improper grammar to say most easiest or most worst.

Verb

A verb is a word or phrase that is used to express an action or a state of being. A verb is the critical element of a sentence. Verbs express time through a property that is called the tense. The three primary tenses are:

• Present—Mary works

• Past—Mary worked

• Future—Mary will work

Some verbs are known as “linking verbs” because they link, or join, the subject of the sentence to a noun, pronoun, or predicate adjective. A linking verb does not show action.

• The most commonly used linking verbs are forms of the verb to be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been (e.g., That man is my professor.).

• Linking verbs are sometimes verbs that relate to the five senses: look, sound, smell, feel, and taste (e.g., That exam looks difficult.).

• Sometimes linking verbs reflect a state of being: appear, seem, become, grow, turn, prove, and remain (e.g., The professor seems tired.).

Preposition

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to some other word in the sentence. A compound preposition is a preposition that is made up of more than one word. A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or a pronoun, which is called the object of the preposition. Box 4-1 lists commonly used prepositions.

Box 4-1 Commonly Used Prepositions

Examples: Prepositional Phrases

Sam left the classroom at noon.

The students learned the basics of grammar.

Conjunction

A conjunction is a word that joins words, phrases, or clauses. Words that serve as coordinating conjunctions are and, but, or, so, nor, for, and yet (e.g., The nurse asked to work the early shift, but her request was denied.).

Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to join words or phrases (e.g., Neither the pharmacist nor her assistant could read the physician’s handwriting.).

Correlative conjunctions always stay in the same pairs. Two common pairs are neither and nor and either and or. These pairs should not be mixed; it is incorrect to use neither with or and either with nor. An easy way to remember this is to think that the two words that start with the letter “n” always go together.

Sometimes, subordinating conjunctions join two clauses or thoughts (e.g., While the nurse was away on vacation, the hospital flooded.). While the nurse was away on vacation is dependent on the rest of the sentence to complete its meaning.

Interjection

An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses emotion or exclamation. It does not have any grammatical connection to the other words in the sentence (e.g., Yikes, that test was hard. Whew, that test was easy.).

Nine Important Terms to Understand

There are nine important terms to understand: Clause, direct object, indirect object, phrase, predicate, predicate adjective, predicate nominative, sentence, and subject.

Clause

A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a predicate.

Independent Clause

An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence (e.g., The professor distributed the examinations as soon as the students were seated.). The professor distributed the examinations expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.

Dependent Clause

A dependent clause begins with a subordinating conjunction (Box 4-2) and does not express a complete thought and therefore cannot stand alone as a sentence. As soon as the students were seated does not express a complete thought. It needs the independent clause to complete the meaning and form the sentence.

Box 4-2 Commonly Used Subordinating Conjunctions

Independent clauses are used to write simple and compound sentences. Dependent clauses are added to an independent clause to form complex or compound-complex sentences. When a sentence begins with a dependent clause, use a comma to set it apart from the independent clause.

Direct Object

A direct object is the person or thing that is directly affected by the action of the verb. A direct object answers the question what or whom after a transitive verb.

The students watched the professor distribute the examinations.

The professor answers whom the students watched.

Indirect Object

An indirect object is the person or thing that is indirectly affected by the action of the verb. A sentence can have an indirect object only if it has a direct object. An indirect object answers the question to whom, for whom, to what, or for what after an action verb.

Indirect objects come between the verb and the direct object.

The professor gave his class the test results.

His class is the indirect object. It comes between the verb (gave) and the direct object (test results), and it answers the question to whom.

Phrase

A phrase is a group of two or more words that acts as a single part of speech in a sentence. A phrase can be used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. A phrase lacks a subject and a predicate.

Predicate

A predicate is the part of the sentence that tells what the subject does or what is done to the subject. It includes the verb and all the words that modify the verb.

Predicate Adjective

A predicate adjective follows a linking verb and helps to explain the subject.

My professors are wonderful.

Predicate Nominative

A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and helps to explain or rename the subject.

Professors are teachers.

Tags: Admission Assessment Exam Review

Apr 10, 2017 | Posted by admin in NURSING | Comments Off

Full access? Get Clinical Tree

Get Clinical Tree app for offline access

Get Clinical Tree app for offline access