ACT Boot Camp January 2017

Chapter 6: Complete Ideas

What makes it incomplete? Missing subject and verb Missing main idea Missing rest of an idea

Stop Punctuation Period (.) Semicolon (;) Question Mark (?) Exclamation Point (!) These can only come between two complete ideas.

Go Punctuation This helps to keep the traffic flowing… When to use it… For example, a comma will keep it moving. When to use it… Try out the “Vertical Line Test” -> Page 51

Commas Stop – when used in conjunction with FANBOYS Go – link an incomplete idea to a complete idea Lists – separate items on a list Unnecessary Info – around the information – test it out, take it out and see if it still works

Colons and Single Dashes The complete idea must come first, and the second idea will be a definition, explanation, or list…. Use the vertical line test again

Identical Punctuation “ACT won’t make you evaluate those subtle differences that might make one punctuation mark better than the others when they all perform essentially identical functions.“

Conjunctions A way to link ideas - - What Although Which As While Because When If Since Where Who That Whom Until

Chapter 7: Consistent, Clear, Concise

Verbs Identify the subject Check the tense Be concise

Tricky Pronouns Anybody Everyone Anyone Nobody Each Somebody Either Someone Everybody

Prepositional Phrases “…show relationship between nouns…” Modify the noun “ACT will add prepositional phrases to distract you from the subject…always look to the left of the proposition to find your subject”

Passive Voice How to recognize: “to be” Preposition “by” “Choose passive voice only when you’re confident that the other three choices contain a grammatical error.”

Pronouns “take the place of nouns and make your writing more concise” HEY LOOK AT THAT … the word concise is here again! Find the original Check the case

Who Versus Whom Who SUBJECT OF PRONOUN HE Whom THE OBJECT PRONOUN HIM

Apostrophes Possession Contraction Single noun? Add ‘s Plural noun? Add ‘ Tricky plural without s? Add ‘s Contraction Pronoun with apostrophe Ex. It’s

Transitions Like Road Signs “Before you consider direction, make sure the sentence is complete and that all ideas within the sentence are joined correctly.”

Concise “ ACT will frequently test concise in a question concerning transitions. If you don’t need a transition word for your sentence to be either complete or clear, don’t use it.”