UNDERSTANDING

BASIC GRAMMAR
USED IN NURSING
PRACTICE
HANA RIZMADEWI AGUSTINA, PHD

ENGLISH FOR NURSING 1

THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/2023
CONTENT

 Eight Parts of Speech

 Nine Important Terms to Understand
URGENCY

 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 profession understands and uses proper grammar.
EIGHT PARTS OF SPEECH
The eight parts of speech are nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions,
conjunctions, and interjections.

 Noun

A noun is a word or group of words that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
 Common Noun

A common noun is the general, not the particular, name of a person, place, or thing (e.g., nurse, hospital, syringe).
 Proper Noun

A proper noun is the official name of a person, place, or thing (e.g., Fred, Paris, Washington University). Proper nouns are
capitalized.
 Abstract Noun

An abstract noun is the name of a quality or a general idea (e.g., persistence, democracy).
 Collective Noun

A collective noun is a noun that represents a group of persons, animals, or things (e.g., family, flock, furniture).
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 STUDENT IS THE ANTECEDENT OF THE PRONOUNS THEIR AND THEM.

Possessive Pronoun
Personal Pronoun
 A possessive pronoun is a form of personal pronoun
 A personal pronoun refers to a specific person, place,
that shows possession or ownership.
thing, or idea by indicating the person speaking (first
person), the person or people spoken to (second  That is my book.
person), or any other person, place, thing, or idea  That book is mine.
being talked about (third person).
 That is his book.
 Personal pronouns also express numbers in that they
are either singular or plural.  That book is his.

 We [first person plural] were going to ask you [second  A possessive pronoun does not contain an apostrophe.
person singular] to give them
 a ride to the office.
ADJECTIVE

Examples
 An adjective is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies a
 Verbs:
noun (the biology book) or a pronoun (He is nice.).
 It answers the question of what kind (a hard test), which The scowling professor, the worried student, the broken
pencil
one (an English test), how many (three tests), or how
much (many tests).
 Verbs, pronouns, and nouns can act as adjectives.  Pronouns:

 A type of verb form that functions as an adjective is a My book, your class, that book, this class
participle, which usually ends in –ing or –ed.
 Adjectives usually precede the noun or a noun phrase that  Nouns:
they modify (e.g., the absent-minded professor).
The professor’s class, the biology class
VERB
 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
 A verb is a word or phrase that is used to express verb does not show action.
an action or a state of being. A verb is the critical  The most used linking verbs are forms of the verb
element of a sentence. to be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been (e.g.,
 Verbs express time through a property that is That man is my professor.).
called the tense. The three primary tenses are:  Linking verbs are sometimes verbs that relate to
 Present—Mary works the five senses: look, sound, smell, feel, and taste
(e.g., That exam looks difficult.).
 Past—Mary worked
 Sometimes linking verbs reflect a state of being:
 Future—Mary will work
appear, seem, become, grow, turn, prove, and
remain (e.g., The professor seems tired.).
ADVERB

Examples
 Verb:

The physician operates quickly.

 An adverb is a word, phrase, or clause that

 Adjective:
modifies a verb, an adjective, or another
adverb. The nurse wears very colorful uniforms.

 Another Adverb:

The student scored quite badly on the test.

PREPOSITION

 A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of

a noun or pronoun to some other word in the
sentence. Examples: Prepositional Phrases

 A compound preposition is a preposition that is made

up of more than one word.  Sam left the classroom at noon.
 A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins  The students learned the basics of grammar.
with a preposition and ends with a noun or a pronoun,
which is called the object of the preposition.
COMMONLY USED PREPOSITIONS
 aboard  onto  under
 around  between  for
 about  opposite  underneath
 as  beyond  from
 above  but (except)  in  out  unlike
 at
 across  by  including  outside  until
 barring
 after  inside  over  up
 Concerning
 before
 into  upon
 against  Considering  past
 Behind  like
 Along  Despite  pending  with
 below  Minus
 amid  down  Plus  within
 beneath  near
 during  prior to  without
 among
 beside  of
 Except  throughout
 off
 following  to
 on
 toward
CONJUNCTION  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.
 A conjunction is a word that joins words, phrases,
or clauses.  These pairs should not be mixed; it is incorrect to
use neither with or and either with nor.
 Words that serve as coordinating conjunctions
are and, but, or, so, nor, for, and yet (e.g., The nurse  An easy way to remember this is to think that the two
asked to work the early shift, but her request was words that start with the letter “n” always go together.
denied.)  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
CLAUSE, DIRECT OBJECT, INDIRECT OBJECT, PHRASE, PREDICATE, PREDICATE ADJECTIVE, PREDICATE
NOMINATIVE, SENTENCE, AND SUBJECT.
 Independent Clause

 An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence
 Clause (e.g., The professor distributed the examinations as soon as the students were seated.). 
 A clause is a group of  The professor distributed the examinations to express a complete thought and can

words that has a subject stand alone as a sentence.

and a predicate.  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. 
• after
 As soon as the students were seated do not express a complete thought. It needs the
Commonly • because
Used independent clause to complete the meaning and form the sentence.
• before
Subordinating • until  Independent clauses are used to write simple and compound sentences.
Conjunctions
• since  Dependent clauses are added to an independent clause to form complex or compound-
• when complex sentences.
 When a sentence begins with a dependent clause, use a comma to set it apart from the
independent clause.
DIRECT OBJECT

 Direct Object
 The students watched the professor distribute the
 A direct object is a person or thing that is directly
examinations.
affected by the action of the verb. A direct object
answers the question of what or whom after a  The professor answers whom the students watched.
transitive verb.
INDIRECT OBJECT

 Indirect objects come between the verb and the

 An indirect object is the person or thing that is direct object.
indirectly affected by the action of the verb.
Example:
 A sentence can have an indirect object only if it
The professor gave his class the test results.
has a direct object.
 His class is the indirect object. It comes between
 An indirect object answers the question to
the verb (gave) and the direct object (test
whom, for whom, to what, or for what after an
results), and it answers the question to whom.
action verb.
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
 Predicate Adjective

 A predicate adjective follows a linking verb and

helps to explain the subject.

 A predicate is the part of the sentence that tells Example: My professors are wonderful.
what the subject does or what is done to the
subject.  Predicate Nominative
 It includes the verb and all the words that
 A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that
modify the verb.
follows a linking verb and helps to explain or
rename the subject.
Example: Professors are teachers.
SENTENCE  Declarative

 A declarative sentence makes a statement.

Example:
 I went to the store

 Interrogative
 A sentence is a group of words that expresses a
complete thought.  An interrogative sentence asks a question.

 Every sentence has a subject and a predicate. Example:

 Did you go to the store?
THANK YOU