THE ACT ENGLISH TEST HOW TO CRACK THE

THE ACT ENGLISH TEST HOW TO CRACK THE SYSTEM

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

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

SENTENCE STRUCTURE n n 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”)

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

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

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

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

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

COMMA SPLICES n n n 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

RUN-ONS n n 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

COMMA SPLICE/RUN-ON n n 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

SEMICOLONS and COLONS n n n 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

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

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

DASHES n n 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

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

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

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

SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT n n 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

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

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

ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS n n n 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)

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

PRONOUNS n n n n 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

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

MISPLACED MODIFIERS n n 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

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

PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION n n n NOUNS THREE EXPLANATIONS FOR SID’S LOCKING HIMSELF IN HIS ROOM WERE A DESIRE 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

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

TRANSITIONS n n n 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

STRATEGY QUESTIONS n n n 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?

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

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

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