ACT English

What can you expect?

That equals 9 minutes per passage.

•75 Questions

• 5 Passages

•15 Questions per passage

• 45 Minutes

Concepts

»Punctuation»Commas»Apostrophes»Colons»Parenthesis and Dashes»Combos

•Grammar and Usage»Grammatical Agreement»Verb Tense»Pronoun Forms»Modifiers»Idioms

Usage and Mechanics

•Sentence Structure–Sentence Fragments–Run-ons–Comma Splices–Misplaces Modifiers–Shifts in Construction

Concepts Continued

Rhetorical Skills»Strategy »Organization»Style»Transitions

What is usage and mechanics?

Usage/Mechanics problems test how well you can construct a functional sentence using:

»the rules of punctuation»grammar »sentence structure.

What is usage and mechanics? Continued

Over 1/2 of the problems in the English Test are Usage/Mechanics problems. Therefore, every rule that you learn is another tool in your toolbox that will help you solve more Usage/Mechanics problems and

ultimately increase your English score.

Commas, Commas, and more Commas

Punctuation marks are used for more than sideways faces. ;) This next section will teach you the formal rules of punctuation that frequently appear on the ACT English test.

»Hint»The answer choices will have the same set of words with punctuation marks (sometimes different) in varying locations.

Commas, Commas, and more Commas

Commas are meant to create natural pauses in a sentence. When used improperly (i.e. misplaced, too many, or not enough) commas disrupt the flow of the sentence.

» Commas are the most frequently tested punctuation on the ACT.

Commas» LISTS- Whenever you see lists containing 3 or

more items of anything in a sentence, you must place a comma between each item. Insert commas where needed in the following sentence:

» Example:

Paul Mark Brett and Derek prepared served and ate some food that was delicious and healthy.

Commas- Adjectives and Introductions

ADJECTIVES- If you see 2 or more adjectives before a noun, you must place a comma between the adjectives:

Example:The beautiful young reindeer is dead.

INTRODUCTIONS- A comma should follow any phrase or word that introduces a sentences:

Examples:

In this course, students learn how to master the ACT.

Eventually, Jennifer scored a 36 on the ACT English Test.

Commas- Removable Phrases» Removable Phrases- Commas should surround a non-

essential, modifying phrase:

Example:

My dad, who is over 65 years old, is retired.

If you remove who is over 65 years old, it does NOT impact the central meaning of the sentence. The phrase provides additional information, but it is NOT essential.

Commas- Essential Modifying Phrases

» Commas should NOT surround an essential modifying phrase:

ExamplePeople who are over 65 years old

are often retired.

In this case, if you remove who are over 65 years old, you would be left with a sentence that has a much different meaning.

THE CLAUSESINDEPENDENT CLAUSE- a complete

thought that contains at least a subject and a verb.

Examples of Independent clauses:

The dog ate.Joe failed the assignment.Sinclair loves wooden bones.

» A clause that makes sense by itself is an independent clause.

» A clause that does not make sense by itself is a dependent clause.

» A complex sentence contains an independent and dependent clause.

Independent clause

Native Americans lived on the island until they were attacked.

Dependent clause

The Clauses» DEPENDENT CLAUSES- An incomplete thought

composed of at least a subject and a verb.

Examples:» Although we studied for seventeen hours

straight.» When you look in the cabinet beneath the

microwave.» Because he was a fabulous musician.» If you finish your homework.

Write I or D for independent or dependent clause.

» 1. if you live on an island______» 2. the tides affect your life______» 3. the water level rises_____» 4. when the tide comes in_____» 5. much of the beach disappears

under water_____» 6. until the tide goes out_____

The Colons (; & :)

Semicolons and colons are often used as incorrect answers on the English Test, so you must understand how to use them properly.

SEMICOLONS (;) can be used to replace a period when 2 independent clauses are closely related.

ExamplesYou don’t study the ACT because it’s fun. You

study the ACT because you want to go to college.

OR

You don’t study the ACT because it’s fun; you study the ACT because you want to go to college.

Both versions are correct. When you see a semicolon, make sure it separates 2 independent

clauses; otherwise, it is incorrect.

Colons (:)COLONS are generally used to introduce

a list.

Example-

We ate a magnificent dinner: lobster, shrimp, steak, and ribs.

Tip- Make sure that you DO NOT confuse the colon with the semicolon as they are obviously used for very different purposes.

It’s vs. its

It’s (abbreviation of it is)

Its (the possessive form of it)

Hint: Plug in it is and see if it makes sense.

They’re vs. their vs. there» They’re (abbreviation for they are)

» Their (the possessive form of they)

» There (indicates location or used as expletive)

Examples: They’re a really nice couple.Their dog is very lazy.There are no paper towels left.

Grammatical Agreement

» Grammatical disagreement occurs when the words within a sentence do NOT work well together. » The pronoun should match the

antecedent/subject.

» Incorrect: The team run up the hill. » Correct: The team runs up the hill.

» Incorrect:The company ran out of money, so they went out of business.

» Correct: The company ran out of money, so it went out of business.

Incorrect: If a student pays little attention in class, they won’t improve their score.

Correct: If students pay little attention in class, they won’t improve their scores. or

Correct: If a student pays little attention in class, he or she won’t improve his or her score.

Verb Tense

ExampleWe want you to search, identify,

and eliminate incorrect answers.

1. A. No Change B. be searching C. have searched D. search for

When dealing with lists of verbs, make sure that the verbs are of the same tense and consistent. It may be helpful to remove the other verbs from the list to help eliminate wrong answers

English Guessing Strategy

» What do I do if I have absolutely no idea what is going on in a certain question?

» Try the famous GOSH strategy!

» Use this strategy only for the English portion of the ACT.

Subject vs. Object» Pronouns change when used in different

cases (subject, object, or possesive)

» The University of Illinois accepted Justin, Jim, and I.

» This almost sounds correct BUT it’s not.The sentence is properly written:

» The University of Illinois accepted Justin, Jim, and me.

» The University of Illinois accepted I.

» OR

» The University of Illinois accepted me.

Do it yourself..

»Justin, Jim, and ____ went to the University of Illinois.

Fragments» Incomplete sentences AKA fragments

are the most common sentence structure error. You will often see a sentence that is composed of only a dependent clause.

» You can easily turn a dependent clause into an independent clause by removing what we call the handcuff.

Example» Because the dog ate a bone. ^handcuffThis is a fragment

» The dog ate a bone.This is grammatically correct.

TIP: If a sentence seems incomplete, it is potentially a fragment. The answer choices often contain handcuffs, commas or semicolons in different locations.

Comma Splices» A comma splice attempts to use the

following combination.

Independent (comma) Independent (period)

EX: The dog ate his homework, Joe failed the assignment.

This is not a legal combo because it is missing a conjuction (and, or, or but)

Run-Ons» Run-on sentences are the same as

comma splices without the comma.

» EX: The dog ate his homework Joe failed the assignment.

TIP: If a sentence seems excessively long, it is potentially a run-on or comma splice. The answer choices often contain commas or semicolons in different locations.

Misplaced Modifiers» A misplaced modifier is a modifying

phrase or word that has wandered too far away from what it is supposed to be modifying, leaving it confusing.

» Adam bought ice cream for his students with chocolate sprinkles.

Do the students have chocolate sprinkles or does the ice cream?

» Correctly Stated» Adam bought ice cream with chocolate

sprinkles for his students.

TIP: Misplaced modifier questions are the only usage/mechanics questions that frequently appear in a format other than the “NO CHANGE” format. They may ask, “The best placement for the underlined portion would be”.

Helpful Hints for During the Exam

» Sit up Straight» Relax and Breathe» Take Advantage of the Break

Helpful Hints for Before the Exam

» Rest Well» Eat Something……Healthy» Dress in Layers» Don’t Freak

The End