ACT English

That equals 9 minutes per passage. What can you expect? 75 Questions 5 Passages 15 Questions per passage 45 Minutes That equals 9 minutes per passage.

Concepts Usage and Mechanics Sentence Structure Punctuation Commas Apostrophes Colons Parenthesis and Dashes Combos Grammar and Usage Grammatical Agreement Verb Tense Pronoun Forms Modifiers Idioms Sentence Structure Sentence Fragments Run-ons Comma Splices Misplaces Modifiers Shifts in Construction

Rhetorical Skills Strategy Organization Style Transitions 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: Example People 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 CLAUSES INDEPENDENT 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.

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.

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.

Examples You don’t study the ACT because it’s fun Examples You 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 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 Example We want you to search, identify, and eliminate incorrect answers. A. No Change B. be searching C. have searched D. search for

Guess what Mr. Grybash is thinking?

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.

Justin, Jim, and ____ went to the University of Illinois. 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. ^handcuff This is a fragment 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

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