Shorthand notes leave out words that a complete sentence needs. You may have to add a subject, an article or an auxiliary verb. That is different from adding a reason, a result or an update that the notes never supplied.
The notes-to-sentences section of Jobin Thomas’s OET Nurses Writing Perfection: Tense and Passive Voice Workbook explores this transition. This guide uses original administrative notes to practise a key distinction: completing the grammar while preserving the information.
Identify the action and time before expanding
Read the note as information first. What happened? When? Who acted, if that is stated? Is the note a completed event, a current arrangement or an outstanding request? Those decisions guide the sentence structure.
Original shorthand exercise
Notes: Monday — form received; signature missing; learner contacted Tuesday; response pending.
Expansion: “The form was received on Monday, but the signature was missing. The learner was contacted on Tuesday, and a response is still pending.”
Unsupported addition: “The learner forgot to sign because they were in a hurry.”
The expansion supplies grammar. The additional explanation invents a reason that the notes do not give.
Choose a subject that the information supports
If the note names the person who acted, you can use that person as the subject. “Administrator confirmed time” can become “The administrator confirmed the time.” If the person is not identified, a passive may preserve that absence: “The time was confirmed.”
Do not insert a named person merely because they would usually perform the action. Familiar routines are not evidence that the same person acted in this particular case.
Add small grammar words carefully
Articles and prepositions help the sentence read naturally: “at the office,” “on Tuesday” and “a response.” Auxiliary verbs establish the intended structure: “was received” or “has been confirmed.” Check each addition against the intended meaning.
A note such as “response pending” should not become “a response was received.” That is a factual reversal, not a stylistic improvement. Mark words that express completion or uncertainty before you start writing.
Which expansion preserves the notes?
Notes: New address supplied; records update requested; confirmation awaited.
Option A: “The new address was supplied, and an update to the records was requested. Confirmation is awaited.”
Option B: “The new address was supplied, and all records were updated immediately.”
Answer: Option A keeps the update as a request and preserves the missing confirmation. Option B adds completion and speed without support.
Join sentences only when the relationship is clear
“After” shows sequence; “because” states a reason. If the notes say one event followed another, do not automatically turn the sequence into causation. Two separate sentences may be clearer than an unsupported causal connection.
Likewise, do not add “fortunately,” “successfully” or “fully” unless the supplied information supports that evaluation. A polished sentence should not become more certain than its source.
Compare the finished version with the notes
Underline every factual claim in your paragraph and point to its source. Then check whether relevant information was lost. This two-way review catches both invented details and omissions.
For short practice, expand four administrative notes, then ask a partner to reconstruct the notes from your paragraph. Differences can reveal where your wording changed the message.
Explore OET Grammar — Course 13 for the course connected to this workbook. If you want individual writing practice, request online OET sessions on dates and times that fit your duty shifts; your tutor confirms the timetable.
Your next step
OET Grammar — Course 13
Explore the complete course outline and related practice topics.
Source: OET NUR GRA 17.epub, Jobins Training. Examples labelled original or illustrative were written for this article. Independent exam preparation; no affiliation with or endorsement by the examining body. Practice does not predict an official score.