ATI TEAS 7 · English and Language Usage section
TEAS English Practice Test: Punctuation, Grammar, Sentences and Vocabulary
The TEAS English and Language Usage section has 37 questions in 37 minutes, about 60 seconds each, the least time per question on the test, in three areas. Practice set 1 has 20 questions on spelling, punctuation, grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary on a TEAS-style screen; check each one to see the explanation and a note on every option. These questions are free, with no sign-up.
Practice sets
TEAS English practice sets
Five sets of English questions. Each opens on a TEAS-style test screen, one question at a time: answer, select Check answer, and see the correct answer, the explanation and why every option is right or wrong before you go on. A basic calculator is in the tool bar. Untimed, and your progress is saved in this browser.
20 questions
20 questions
20 questions
20 questions
20 questions
Set 1 covers conventions of standard English (7), knowledge of language (7) and using language and vocabulary to express ideas in writing (6). On the TEAS the English section allows about 60 seconds a question. When the sets feel easy, take the full-length TEAS Practice Exam 1, each section timed as on the TEAS.
Sample TEAS English questionFrom practice set 1, with the answer and a note on every option
Which sentence correctly joins two independent clauses with the conjunction but?
Answer: The boxes were labeled, but the labels were difficult to read.
The boxes were labeled and the labels were difficult to read are complete independent clauses. A comma before the coordinating conjunction but marks their connection.
The boxes were labeled, but, the labels were difficult to read.: This adds an unnecessary comma after but that breaks the main clause.
The boxes, were labeled but the labels were difficult to read.: This splits the first subject from its verb instead of marking the clause boundary.
The boxes were labeled but, the labels were difficult to read.: This puts the comma after the conjunction instead of before it.
The boxes were labeled, but the labels were difficult to read.: Correct. The comma precedes but between the two independent clauses.
Conventions of standard English · Punctuation: compound sentences with coordinating conjunctions
Content
What the TEAS English section tests
The TEAS divides English and Language Usage into three sub-content areas, each with a fixed number of scored questions, which schools' TEAS guides publish. The 4 unscored pretest questions are spread through the section, and you cannot tell which they are.
- Questions
- 37
- 33 scored, 4 unscored
- Time
- 37 min
- Four sections; this is the fourth
- Per question
- 60 s
- On average
- Content areas
- 3
- Sub-content areas, in the exam's terms
Conventions of standard English
The rules of written English: spelling, including plurals and words that change when a suffix is added; punctuation with commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes and quotation marks; and sentence structure, from simple to compound-complex sentences, with fragments and run-ons to repair.
Topics to cover
- Spelling (including commonly misspelled words and plurals)
- Punctuation: commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes, quotation marks
- Sentence structure: simple, compound, complex, compound-complex; fragments and run-ons
Knowledge of language
Grammar that keeps writing clear: subject-verb and pronoun agreement, pronoun case, verb tense and modifiers that point to the right word; formal or informal language for the audience; parallel structure; and saying the same thing in fewer words.
Topics to cover
- Grammar for clarity: subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement and case, verb tense, modifiers
- Formal and informal language; choosing the register for an audience
- Parallel structure and concise wording
Using language and vocabulary to express ideas in writing
Working out a word from context clues or from its root, prefix and suffix; choosing the word with the right connotation; and the writing process, from gathering ideas and drafting to revising and editing, with topic sentences and transitions that hold a paragraph together.
Topics to cover
- Meaning of a word from context clues
- Meaning of a word from its parts: roots, prefixes and suffixes
- The writing process: drafting, revising, editing; topic sentences and transitions
- Choosing the word with the right connotation
Questions and scored questions per area: Western Technical College Library, Nursing: TEAS Prep Guide; Lee College Testing, TEAS; Highline College, TEAS 7 Exam Preparation Course: TEAS content/sub-content/concept Breakdown
Question formats
How TEAS English questions work
Each question is right or wrong, with no partial credit. Most TEAS questions are standard multiple choice; the rest use one of four other formats. Within the section you can go back, change answers and skip questions until you complete it.
| Format | On the TEAS | In set 1 here |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple choice | Four options and one correct answer. Some questions include a chart, an exhibit or a graphic. | Four options, one correct: 16 of 20 |
| Multiple select | Four or more options, more than one of them correct. The question says “select all that apply”, and every correct option must be chosen. | Select every correct option: 1 of 20 |
| Hot spot | You click the right part of an image that has two to five areas you can click. | Select the right words in a sentence: 3 of 20 |
In the English sets here, hot-spot questions show a sentence and ask you to select the misspelled or misused word in it, and select-all questions ask which versions of a sentence are correct. Every other question is standard multiple choice.
Calculator
A basic four-function calculator is built into the TEAS, and your own calculator is not allowed (North Central Texas College's and Broward College's testing pages). Highline College's TEAS course describes it as a standard, non-scientific calculator for the math section. The practice sets here keep a basic calculator in the tool bar.
Sources: Highline College Placement & Testing Center, TEAS; University of Texas at El Paso Student Testing, TEAS; Columbia Basin College Library, TEAS Test Preparation; Highline College, TEAS 7 Exam Preparation Course: TEAS 7 Test Information; North Central Texas College Testing, ATI-TEAS Exam; Broward College, Program Admission Tests
Method
How to prepare for TEAS English
What to study first and how to pace the 37 minutes, for this section in particular.
- 01Spread your practice over all three areasThe scored counts are close: 12 in conventions of standard English, 11 in knowledge of language and 10 in using language and vocabulary to express ideas in writing. A gap in any one of them costs about as much as a gap in another, so do not skip vocabulary and writing for grammar drills.
- 02Find the real subject before you choose the verbCross out the phrases between the subject and the verb. In "The box of gloves is on the cart", the subject is box, not gloves, so the verb is singular.
- 03Test pronouns by dropping the other person"Ana and me signed in" fails once you drop Ana: "me signed in". The correct form is "Ana and I". For who or whom, answer the question with he or him: him points to whom.
- 04Count the clauses to name a sentence typeSimple: one independent clause. Compound: two or more independent clauses. Complex: one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Compound-complex: two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
- 05Use word parts and context on unfamiliar wordsPrefixes and suffixes narrow the meaning: pre- (before), post- (after), anti- (against), mal- (bad), -ology (study of). The sentence often adds a definition, an example or a contrast that settles the rest.
- 06Pace at about 60 seconds a questionEnglish and Language Usage is the fourth and last section, about 3 hours into the sitting if you use the full time and the break, and it allows the least time per question. Read the whole sentence before choosing, then move on rather than rereading it many times.
Punctuation
Punctuation rules to know for TEAS English
Conventions of standard English is the largest English area, and much of it is punctuation. These are the core rules, with an example of each.
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| A comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) join two independent clauses | The lab closed early, so the class met online. |
| A semicolon joins two independent clauses without a conjunction | The lab closed early; the class met online. |
| A colon after a complete sentence introduces a list or an explanation | Bring three things: a pen, your badge and a watch. |
| A comma follows an introductory clause or phrase | After the shift ended, the team met in the lounge. |
| An apostrophe shows possession or a contraction, never a plain plural | The nurse's badge; the nurses' station; it's (it is) and its (belonging to it) |
| Periods and commas go inside closing quotation marks in American English | "Wait here," she said. |
| A question mark goes inside the quotation marks when the quotation itself is the question | He asked, "Is the room free?" |
FAQ
TEAS English: questions people ask
What is on the TEAS English section?
How many questions are on the TEAS English section, and how long is it?
Is grammar on the TEAS?
How do I study for the TEAS English section?
Is there a free TEAS English practice test?
What if I fail the TEAS?
Keep practicing
Next practice exercise
TEAS Reading, practice set 1: 20 questions on the same screen. Work through the sections in the TEAS order and come back to the one you find hardest.
Pages this page relies on: Western Technical College Library, Nursing: TEAS Prep Guide; Lee College Testing, TEAS; Highline College, TEAS 7 Exam Preparation Course: TEAS content/sub-content/concept Breakdown; Highline College, TEAS 7 Exam Preparation Course: TEAS 7 Test Information; Highline College Placement & Testing Center, TEAS; University of Texas at El Paso Student Testing, TEAS; Columbia Basin College Library, TEAS Test Preparation; North Central Texas College Testing, ATI-TEAS Exam; Broward College, Program Admission Tests; Northeast Iowa Community College, ATI TEAS Admission Assessment; Towson University Department of Nursing, TEAS Test; Winona State University Nursing, ATI TEAS Tip Sheet and FAQs (PDF, October 2025); Kennebec Valley Community College Library, TEAS: Taking the Exam
Checked against schools' published TEAS pages, read on November 4, 2026, and last reviewed November 4, 2026. Found an error? Tell us.