HESI A2 grammar rules: what the grammar section covers and how to review it
Written and reviewed by Rebecca Moore, MSN, RN, CEN · 3 min read · Updated October 2026
Short answer
The HESI A2 grammar section has 55 questions on parts of speech, agreement, common usage errors, and punctuation. The rules that come up most in college study guides are subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement and case, verb tense, adjectives versus adverbs, commas and semicolons, apostrophes, and commonly confused words. Review them as rules, then test them on questions.
The rules on the list
South Texas College describes the grammar section as basic grammar, parts of speech, important terms and their uses, and commonly occurring grammatical errors, across 55 items. The Texas State Technical College study guide breaks that into specific skills: subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, parts of speech including possessives, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs, and capitalisation.
Punctuation is on the same list: commas, semicolons, colons, hyphens, parentheses, ellipses, quotation marks, and apostrophes. The same guide also mentions using dialogue correctly and using grammar for clarity, which in practice means spotting the clearest of several correct-looking sentences.
The errors that cost the most points
Agreement errors hide behind long phrases. In a sentence like the box of gloves are on the shelf, the subject is box, so the verb should be is. Cross out the phrase between subject and verb and the answer becomes obvious. Pronouns follow the same logic: a pronoun has to agree with the noun it stands for, and the case has to fit its job in the sentence, so it is between you and me, not between you and I.
Commonly confused words are quick points if you know them: affect and effect, then and than, its and it's, lie and lay, fewer and less. Adjective and adverb questions usually turn on whether the word describes a noun or a verb, as in the patient feels bad, not badly.
How to review grammar efficiently
Take a timed set first and sort your misses by rule rather than by question. Most people find two or three rules account for most of their errors. Learn those rules from any reliable grammar reference, write one example sentence of your own for each, and move on.
Grammar responds to short daily practice better than to one long session, because the goal is to hear the error quickly. Read each explanation, even for questions you got right by instinct, so you know the rule next time.
Our HESI A2 grammar practice questions explain the rule behind every answer, which makes them a fast way to find your weak spots.
Common questions
How many grammar questions are on the HESI A2?
The grammar section has 55 questions, of which 50 are scored and 5 are pilot items, according to South Texas College's exam information.
Is HESI A2 grammar hard?
It is narrow rather than hard. A small set of rules covers most questions, so targeted review of the rules you miss tends to move the score quickly.
Does the HESI A2 grammar section include punctuation?
Yes. College study guides list commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes, quotation marks, and other punctuation among the skills tested.