THE ACT ENGLISH TEST

1. THE ACT ENGLISH TEST HOW TO CRACK THE SYSTEM

2. TRIAGE • LOOK FOR ERRORS BY LOOKING AT THE ANSWER CHOICES FOR CLUES: • A. NO CHANGE • B. ONE GOES • C. YOU GO • D. HE GOES • THE PROBLEM HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH PRONOUNS

3. SOME QUICK TRICKS • “NO CHANGE” – IS THE RIGHT ANSWER A LITTLE LESS THAN 25% OF THE TIME • “OMIT THE UNDERLINED PORTION” IS THE RIGHT ANSWER A LITTLE MORE THAN 50% OF THE TIME

4. SENTENCE STRUCTURE • CLAUSES AND PHRASES PUT TOGETHER LOGICALLY • INDEPENDENT CLAUSES VERSUS DEPENDENT CLAUSES • SINGLE WORDS CAN MAKE DEPENDENT CLAUSES, INDEPENDENT • AS HE RAN ACROSS THE ROOM (LOSE THE “AS”)

5. SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS • WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW, IF, AS, BECAUSE, ALTHOUGH, WHILE, DESPITE, THAT, WHO, WHAT • LOOK FOR THESE WORDS TO SIGNAL A SENTENCE FRAGMENT • THESE WORDS LEAVE YOU ASKING… “AND”?

6. PUNCTUATION • MORE THAN HALF THE PUNCTUATION QUESTIONS ON THE ACT DEAL WITH THE PROPER USE OF COMMAS • TOO FEW COMMAS CREATE CONFUSION REGARDING THE THOUGHT PROCESS • TOO MANY BREAK UP THE FLOW

7. COMMA RULES • CLAUSES: BETWEEN A DEPENDENT AND AN INDEPENDENT CLAUSE • MODIFYING PHRASES: BETWEEN AN INDEPENDENT CLAUSE AND ITS MODIFYING PHRASE “HUNGRY AND EXCITED, THE BIRD SNAPPED UP THE BAGEL”

8. COMMA RULES • RESTRICTIVE AND NONRESTRICTIVE ELEMENTS: AROUND NONRESTRICTIVE CLAUSES OR PHRASES • MY GRANDFATHER, WHO SNORES LOUDLY, ALWAYS SLEEPS IN HIS LONGJOHNS • THAT v. WHICH

9. COMMA RULES • SERIAL COMMA: SEPARATE ITEMS IN A SERIES (COMMA BEFORE AND AND ;) • SEPARATING CLAUSES: BEFORE COORDINATING CONJUNCTION (AND, OR, BUT, FOR, NOR, YET) BETWEEEN TWO INDEPENDENT CLAUSES

10. COMMA SPLICES • IN A COMMA SPLICE TWO INDEPENDENT CLAUSES ARE JAMMED TOGETHER INTO SENTENCE, USUALLY WITH ONLY A COMMA TO TRY TO HOLD THEM TOGETHER • AUNT SALLY RAN INTO THE ROOM, TOM WAS ALREADY GONE. • FIX IT

11. RUN-ONS • A RUN-ON SENTENCE IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING AS A COMMA SPLICE, WITHOUT THE COMMA • AUNT SALLY SWEPT UP THE SHARDS OF GLASS SHE WAS FURIOUS • FIX IT • USUALLY THEY ARE MUCH LONGER AND YOU CAN’T READ THEM OUTLOUD WITHOUT RUNNING OUT OF BREATH

12. COMMA SPLICE/RUN-ON • LOOK FOR PUNCTUATION CHANGES IN THE ANSWERS • IF YOU SEE AN ANSWER THAT BREAKS UP THE “SENTENCE” CHECK FOR INDEPENDENT CLAUSES ON BOTH SIDES • REMEMBER THERE ARE MULTIPLE WAYS TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS • TRY ALL OF THE OPTIONS

13. SEMICOLONS and COLONS • PUT TWO OR MORE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES TOGETHER TO FORM ONE BIG SENTENCE • THE CLAUSES MUST BE RELATED • YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A SEMICOLON AND PERIOD • USED AFTER COMPLETE STATEMENT TO INTRO LIST • LAST WORD CANNOT BE A VERB

14. APOSTROPHES • MARK POSSESSION OR MISSING LETTERS • PETER’S CAR; WOMEN’S ISSUES • THE NOUN MUST BE FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER NOUN (NOT VERB) TO BE NECESSARY • STUDENTS MUST HAVE IDENTIFICATION CARDS

15. APOSTROPHE • THE MOST COMMON APOSTROPHE ERROR ON THE ACT IS “ITS/IT’S” • IT’S IS THE CONTRACTION IT IS • ITS IS THE POSSESSIVE OF IT. THE DOG LOST ITS COLLAR.

16. DASHES • SEPARATE A WORD OF GROUP OF WORDS FROM THE REST OF THE SENTENCE • IT IS AN ABRUPT BREAK IN THOUGHT OR TO INTRODUCE AN EXPLANATION OR AFTERTHOUGHT • I TRIED TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE—NOT THAT ANY WORDS COULD BE ADEQUATE—BUT SHE JUST NODDED AND WALKED AWAY. • MAKE SURE IT IS AN ABRUPT BREAK IN THOUGHT AND THERE ARE TWO IN THE MIDDLE OF A SENTENCE, ONE AT THE END

17. QUOTATION MARKS DIRECT QUOTES POEMS, JOURNALS, ARTICLES, SONGS PERIODS INSIDE, QUESTION MARKS DEPEND

18. GRAMMAR AND USAGE • TEST YOUR ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE THE PROPER USES OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF SPEECH • FREQUENTLY THE FOCUS IS: NOUN-PRONOUN AGREEMENT, PRONOUN CASE AGREEMENT, SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT, VERB TENSE, PROPER PLACEMENT OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS, CORRECT PLACE OF IDIOM

19. VERB ERRORS • LOOK FOR AN UNDERLINED VERB • IT WILL BE EITHER A SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT PROBLEM OR A TENSE ISSUE • FIND SIMPLE SUBJECT AND SIMPLE VERB

20. SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT • VERBS MUST ALWAYS AGREE WITH THEIR SUBJECTS • LOOK FOR NUMBER ERROR • THE BEST MOMENT DURING A BROADCAST FILLED WITH MANY GREAT MOMENTS WERE WHEN THE ASTRONOUT STEPPED OUT OF THE LUNAR LANDER AND BOUNCED ON THE MOON. • FIND THE SIMPLE SUBJECT; FIND THE SIMPLE VERB

21. PRONOUN-VERB AGREEMENT • EACH OF THESE MOMENTS HAVE PLAYED IN MY MIND AGAIN AND AGAIN AS I TRY TO RECAPTURE THE EXCITEMENT OF THAT MOMENTOUS DAY IN JUNE • SAME STRATEGY

22. VERB TENSE • THE ACT WRITERS DON’T CARE IF YOU KNOW THE NAMES OF VERB TENSES • THEY WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO SPOT INCONSISTENCIES • SAM IS WALKING DOWN THE STREET WHEN HE FOUND A LARGE SUITCASE

23. ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS • ADJECTIVES MODIFY NOUNS • ADVERBS MODIFY VERBS • IF AN ADJECTIVE OR ADVERB IS UNDERLINED, CHECK TO MAKE SURE IT MODIFIES THE CORRECT THING • ADVERBS FREQUENTLY END IN “LY” • WATCH FOR COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES (TALLER VERSUS MORE TALL)

24. PRONOUNS • WHAT IS A PRONOUN? • THE FIRST RULE – AGREEMENT • AGREEMENT IN NUMBER – MANY ARE OBVIOUS • THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE INDEFINITE PRONOUNS • MEMORIZE THE ODD ONES

25. PRONOUNS • PRONOUNS MUST AGREE IN “CASE” • NOMINIATIVE = SUBJECT • OBJECTIVE = SOMETHING HAPPENS TO IT • POSSESSIVE = OWNERSHIP • (SHE/HER) BOUGHT A SOUVENIR NASA SWEATSHIRT • JANE BOUGHT A SOUVENIR NASA SWEATSHIRT FOR (HE/HIM) • WHO/WHOM

26. RHETORICAL SKILLS • 35 QUESTIONS • DEAL WITH STYLE AND EDITING • A FEW WILL DEAL WITH THE PASSAGE AS A WHOLE (LEAVE THESE TO THE END)

27. MISPLACED MODIFIERS • A MODIFYING PHRASE NEEDS TO BE NEAR WHAT IT IS MODIFYING. • SWEEPING UP THE SHARDS OF GLASS, THE MISSING KEY TO THE JEWELRY BOX WAS FOUND BY AUNT SALLY. • WHO IS SWEEPING? • AGAIN TRY THE ANSWERS TO FIND THE CORRECT ONE

28. PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION • TWO MAJOR TYPES ON ACT • BOTH INCLUDE LISTS OF SOME KIND • VERBS • WHEN TOM FINALLY CAME HOME, AUNT SALLY KISSED HIM, HUGGED HIM, AND GIVES HIM HIS FAVORITE DESSERT AFTER DINNER

29. PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION • NOUNS • THREE EXPLANATIONS FOR SID’S LOCKING HIMSELF IN HIS ROOM WERE ADESIRE TO DO HIS HOMEWORK, A SENSE THAT HE NEEDED TO HONE HIS COLLEGE ESSAYS, AND HATING HIS BROTHER TOM, WHO ALWAYS GETS AWAY WITH MURDER. • THE NUMBER OF NOUNS OR VERBS IS NOT ALWAYS THREE

30. HOW TO SPOT THEM • LOOK FOR A SERIES OF ACTIONS OR NOUNS • LOOK AT THE ANSWER OPTIONS • LOOK FOR CHANGES IN VERB TENSE • LOOK FOR CHANGES IN THE WAY THE NOUNS ARE SET UP

31. TRANSITIONS • NEEDED AT THE BEGINNING OF A CLAUSE, SENTENCE, OR PARAGRAPH • THREE MAIN ONES ARE “BUT”, “THUS” AND “ALSO” OR A VARIATION ON THE ABOVE THREE • BUT IS A CONTRADITION; THUS IS FOR CAUSE AND EFFECT; ALSO MEANS IN ADDITION

32. STRATEGY QUESTIONS • WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ANSWERS BEST SUMMARIZES THE MAIN POINT OF THE PASSAGE? • IS THE USE OF FORMAL ENGLISH APPROPRIATE IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS PASSAGE? • IF THE PASSAGE WERE REVISED TO PRESENT CONFLICTING VIEWPOINTS, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING CHANGES WOULD BEST REPRESENT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AUTHOR’S ARGUMENT?

33. STRATEGY • LEAVE THOSE QUESTIONS TO THE END • ELIMINATE AS MANY OPTIONS AS POSSIBLE • USE READING STRATEGY TECHNIQUES • IF ALL ELSE FAILS, GUESS!

34. ORGANIZATION • TWO KINDS • REORDER SENTENCES WITHIN A PARAGRAPH • REORDER PARAGRAPHS AS A WHOLE • DO THIS WITH TRIAL AND ERROR

35. STYLE • REDUNDANCY • THE ACT HATES REDUNDANCY BECAUSE IT REPEATS ITSELF • OMIT IS FREQUENTLY THE ANSWER • LOOK FOR SIMILAR ADJECTIVES OR WORDINESS • TONE OF OVERALL PASSAGE