1
HESI A2 Grammar Rules 2025 | 180+
Practice Questions for Healthcare
Writing Mastery
Table of Contents
Subtopic 1: Sentence Structure, Fragments, and Run-Ons in Medical Writing. 2
Subtopic 2: Subject-Verb Agreement and Verb Tense in Clinical
Communication..............................................................................................12
Subtopic 3: Pronouns, Antecedents, and Clarity in Patient Documentation...23
Subtopic 4: Punctuation and Capitalization in Clinical and Legal Notes.........33
Subtopic 5: Subject-Verb Agreement and Consistency in Healthcare
Narratives......................................................................................................43
Subtopic 6: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases in Clinical Writing..........53
Subtopic 7: Apostrophes, Possession, and Contractions in Medical Writing...61
Subtopic 8: Sentence Boundaries—Run-ons, Fragments, and Comma Splices
in Clinical Writing...........................................................................................69
Subtopic 9: Avoiding Ambiguity and Vagueness in Clinical Documentation...76
, 2
Subtopic 1: Sentence Structure, Fragments,
and Run-Ons in Medical Writing
Question 1
Which of the following sentences is correctly structured for a nursing
progress note?
A. Patient alert. Oriented. Able to ambulate independently.
B. The patient is alert, oriented, and able to ambulate independently.
C. Patient is alert and oriented able to ambulate independently
D. Alert and oriented the patient, ambulate independent.
Correct Answer: B. The patient is alert, oriented, and able to ambulate
independently.
Rationale Explanation:
Option B is a complete, grammatically correct sentence appropriate for
clinical documentation. Option A consists of fragments, C lacks punctuation,
and D is a run-on with awkward phrasing.
Question 2
Identify the run-on sentence in this set:
A. The patient was tired he fell asleep during the examination.
B. The patient, who had not slept well, fell asleep during the examination.
C. Because the patient was tired, he fell asleep during the examination.
D. The patient was tired. He fell asleep during the examination.
, 3
Correct Answer: A. The patient was tired he fell asleep during the
examination.
Rationale Explanation:
A run-on sentence incorrectly joins two independent clauses without proper
punctuation. Option A lacks a comma or coordinating conjunction between
the two clauses.
Question 3
Choose the sentence that corrects the fragment:
A. Because the medication was administered.
B. The medication was administered after the assessment.
C. Administered the medication.
D. After administering medication.
Correct Answer: B. The medication was administered after the assessment.
Rationale Explanation:
Only option B provides a complete thought with both a subject and
predicate. The others are sentence fragments and do not stand alone
grammatically.
Question 4
Which revision eliminates the comma splice?
A. The patient is febrile, he may be developing an infection.
B. The patient is febrile. He may be developing an infection.
, 4
C. The patient is febrile and, he may be developing an infection.
D. Febrile, he may be developing an infection, the patient is.
Correct Answer: B. The patient is febrile. He may be developing an infection.
Rationale Explanation:
A comma splice incorrectly joins two independent clauses with only a
comma. Option B uses a period to separate the clauses correctly.
Question 5
What is the grammatical issue in this note: “Pt. reports nausea vomiting
unable to eat”?
A. Subject-verb agreement
B. Run-on sentence
C. Sentence fragment and lack of punctuation
D. Incorrect verb tense
Correct Answer: C. Sentence fragment and lack of punctuation
Rationale Explanation:
This clinical note lacks conjunctions and punctuation, making it a fragment
and hard to understand. A clearer version would be: "The patient reports
nausea, vomiting, and an inability to eat."
Question 6
Which of the following notes avoids a sentence fragment?
HESI A2 Grammar Rules 2025 | 180+
Practice Questions for Healthcare
Writing Mastery
Table of Contents
Subtopic 1: Sentence Structure, Fragments, and Run-Ons in Medical Writing. 2
Subtopic 2: Subject-Verb Agreement and Verb Tense in Clinical
Communication..............................................................................................12
Subtopic 3: Pronouns, Antecedents, and Clarity in Patient Documentation...23
Subtopic 4: Punctuation and Capitalization in Clinical and Legal Notes.........33
Subtopic 5: Subject-Verb Agreement and Consistency in Healthcare
Narratives......................................................................................................43
Subtopic 6: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases in Clinical Writing..........53
Subtopic 7: Apostrophes, Possession, and Contractions in Medical Writing...61
Subtopic 8: Sentence Boundaries—Run-ons, Fragments, and Comma Splices
in Clinical Writing...........................................................................................69
Subtopic 9: Avoiding Ambiguity and Vagueness in Clinical Documentation...76
, 2
Subtopic 1: Sentence Structure, Fragments,
and Run-Ons in Medical Writing
Question 1
Which of the following sentences is correctly structured for a nursing
progress note?
A. Patient alert. Oriented. Able to ambulate independently.
B. The patient is alert, oriented, and able to ambulate independently.
C. Patient is alert and oriented able to ambulate independently
D. Alert and oriented the patient, ambulate independent.
Correct Answer: B. The patient is alert, oriented, and able to ambulate
independently.
Rationale Explanation:
Option B is a complete, grammatically correct sentence appropriate for
clinical documentation. Option A consists of fragments, C lacks punctuation,
and D is a run-on with awkward phrasing.
Question 2
Identify the run-on sentence in this set:
A. The patient was tired he fell asleep during the examination.
B. The patient, who had not slept well, fell asleep during the examination.
C. Because the patient was tired, he fell asleep during the examination.
D. The patient was tired. He fell asleep during the examination.
, 3
Correct Answer: A. The patient was tired he fell asleep during the
examination.
Rationale Explanation:
A run-on sentence incorrectly joins two independent clauses without proper
punctuation. Option A lacks a comma or coordinating conjunction between
the two clauses.
Question 3
Choose the sentence that corrects the fragment:
A. Because the medication was administered.
B. The medication was administered after the assessment.
C. Administered the medication.
D. After administering medication.
Correct Answer: B. The medication was administered after the assessment.
Rationale Explanation:
Only option B provides a complete thought with both a subject and
predicate. The others are sentence fragments and do not stand alone
grammatically.
Question 4
Which revision eliminates the comma splice?
A. The patient is febrile, he may be developing an infection.
B. The patient is febrile. He may be developing an infection.
, 4
C. The patient is febrile and, he may be developing an infection.
D. Febrile, he may be developing an infection, the patient is.
Correct Answer: B. The patient is febrile. He may be developing an infection.
Rationale Explanation:
A comma splice incorrectly joins two independent clauses with only a
comma. Option B uses a period to separate the clauses correctly.
Question 5
What is the grammatical issue in this note: “Pt. reports nausea vomiting
unable to eat”?
A. Subject-verb agreement
B. Run-on sentence
C. Sentence fragment and lack of punctuation
D. Incorrect verb tense
Correct Answer: C. Sentence fragment and lack of punctuation
Rationale Explanation:
This clinical note lacks conjunctions and punctuation, making it a fragment
and hard to understand. A clearer version would be: "The patient reports
nausea, vomiting, and an inability to eat."
Question 6
Which of the following notes avoids a sentence fragment?
