1. Session 12: Verbs and ACT Writing

5. Objectives for the Day
Understand what verbs are and how they function in sentences
Understand what the ACT likes to test us on when it comes to verbs:
Tense, Subject-Verb Agreement, Gerunds (Verb-Nouns), Collective Nouns and Compound Subjects
Understand the ACT Writing section and why it is important
Learn how practice with writing can help prepare us for college writing and writing for our college applications

6. Announcements REMINDER – NO SESSION NEXT TUES AND WED
1-on-1’s will be happening next week and the week after
If you have not taken ACT II and do not have a plan with me or Kasin, please connect with us
New Tri, New You, New Schedies (we want your new schedules)

7. Verbs!
Verbs are what is happening - what the subject is doing or being!
Action verbs and Being verbs
Action: hit, punch, fly, run, think, etc
Being: is, am, are, etc
Two major things that ACT tests:
Verb Tense
Subject-Verb Agreement

8. Verb Tense Past, present, future Ex: to learn Ex: to fly
Learned, learns, will learn
Ex: to fly
Flew, flies, will fly

9. Verb Tense
Sometimes there are time words in the sentence that require what tense of verb to use
It has been snowing since yesterday evening.
It is snowing outside right now.
It snows in Massachusetts every winter.
It had been snowing up until yesterday evening.

10. Verb Tense Perfect tense: shows the relationship between two actions
Different types of perfect tense verbs:
Past perfect – “had” + past participle
Present perfect – “has”/“have” + past participle
Future perfect – “will have” + past participle
Past participle = “-ed” form of verb

11. Verb Tense Past Perfect: “had” + past participle
Two actions occurred in the past, but one happened before the other
Ex: They were going over verbs, but Josh had learned all of this stuff before.
Present Perfect: “has”/“have” + past participle
An action happened sometime before now and might still be continuing on
Ex: It has rained outside.
The schools have raised enough funds to have two football teams this year.

12. Verb Tense
Continuous tense: is/am/are OR was/were + present participle (-ing)
It is raining outside right now.
It was raining outside.

13. GAME – Verb Charades
Deck of cards – someone on your team has to act out the card on top
Once someone on your team thinks they know the action, they have to write it up in the past tense, present tense, and future tense correctly
First team to finish deck wins the prize

14. Exercise 3 on pg. 88
We’ll have 5 minutes – see what you can do with your knowledge of Verb Tenses!

15. Subject-Verb Agreement
Singular nouns require different verbs from Plural nouns.
All of the class was bored with the talk of verbs.
All of the students were bored with the talk of verbs.
Like we talked about with pronouns – “all” can be singular or plural – can tell from nouns that all replaces (class and students) which verbs to use

16. ACT Verb Tricks Prepositions Collective nouns and Mass Nouns
The photos in the yearbook was so blurry.
The class was bored by more talk of collective nouns.
The photos was blurry.
The furniture was so ugly.
Compound subjects
Gerunds (-ing nouns)
Neither my grandparents nor my aunt watches TV.
Reality programming dominates MTV these days.
Neither my aunt nor my grandparents watch TV.

17. BREAK

18. ACT Writing and College Writing
College is often more writing-intensive than high school.
ACT writing helps develop skills in two areas:
Analyzing information that is presented
Developing and defending your perspective

19. ACT Writing Structure Last section – 1 Question, 40 minutes
1 essay prompt about a single issue – usually could be argued from many sides
Scoring well isn’t about picking the right or wrong perspective – it’s about being persuasive.
We can practice is identifying strengths and weaknesses of an argument

20. Example Prompt
Which coach is a better College Possible coach, Josh or Kasin? Perspective 1: Kasin is the better College Possible coach. Perspective 2: Josh is the better College Possible coach. Perspective 3: Josh and Kasin both have their unique strengths that might make them each a better coach for different types of people. Typically, the prompt will have two extreme perspectives and one middle- ground perspective.

21. Practicing making arguments
Groups of three
3 different stations around the room
1 minute to come up with one positive argument and one negative argument for each perspective – I will tell you when to switch

22. Practice!
Write one paragraph defending a perspective on the following prompt:
Because of social media, people are less connected than ever. They lack the type of connections that come from interacting with people on a deeper level. Online communication cannot offer the depths of connection that in-person communication can.

23. Question Time
If there’s anything you’ve been wondering about college, this is the time to ask!
Can be about anything – roommates, social life, professors, academic life, romantic life