1. ACT PREP
English

2. Day #1 Bell Ringer
When winter comes, the town will look virtually the same except for a few feet of snow covering the roads. The miners can, however, have sixteen tons of coal and a sore back to show for their efforts. F.         NO CHANGE G.         miners did, H.         miners will, J.          miners,

3. Bell Ringer
Answer
The correct answer is H. The sentence refers to a time in the future after winter has come, as shown by the verb will look, so the verb tense should be consistent with this. Choices F and J are present tense and are incorrect. Choice G uses the past tense and is also incorrect. Students may be tempted to match the present tense verb comes, but point out that they need to look at the meaning of the sentence. The work and sore backs of the miners will occur after the snow comes, which is in the future.  

4. Scoring
Your COMPOSITE SCORE is the average of all of your scale scores. Use your RAW SCORE, or the number of questions that you answered correctly for each section, to determine your SCALE SCORE.
Example: If you correctly answer 60 out of 75 questions, your RAW SCORE is 60.

5. Scoring Formula to determine your SCALE SCORE: English :
__________× 36 = _______ ÷ 75 = _________ (-2)
Raw Score
=______________
Scale score

6. ACT Practice Test Review

7. ACT English Test
Five passages and 75 questions that challenge your editing ability
Passages will check your grammar and composition skills
45 minutes for English section

8. Test Taking Strategy Allow 8 minutes for each passage.
If you don’t know the answer to a question, skip it and move on.
Guess if you don’t know:
No penalty for guessing
Never leave an answer blank
When you skip, fill in your best guess before moving on to the next question.
Mark the question in your test booklet so you can come back to it
If you finish under the time limit, use your remaining time to review your answers.

9. The Best Answer
If you find yourself debating between two or three different possibilities that all look correct to you, try to narrow it down with these criteria:
The best answer choice:
has nothing wrong with the grammar.
is consistent.
clearly communicates.
is concise.

10. The “Box” Questions
Test your skills at organizing the passage and developing its main ideas
Work for consistency
Choose the option that best flows with what is already in the passage
Select the option that continues the main idea already established
Make sure you are answering the exact question being asked, not just the answer that you like best.

11. Practice!!

12. Day #2 Bell Ringer Parenthetical Elements
It took longer, though for me to realize that Spark needed quite a bit of training, as well as love and affection. A. NO CHANGE B. took, longer though, C. took longer though, D. took longer, though,

13. Bell Ringer
Answer
The correct answer is D. The word though is nonessential and should be set off with two commas. Choices A and C are incorrect because they are missing one of these commas. Choice B is incorrect because it incorrectly places the first comma after took, interrupting the initial phrase.  

14. Punctuation Semicolon
Used instead of a period to connect two related independent clauses.
If the ACT offers a choice between a semicolon and a period, Both Answers are wrong, because these two marks of punctuation are essentially interchangeable
This rule only works if everything else about the two answer choices is exactly the same.

15. Example
The first thing that struck me as we entered the room where the painting was displayed; was the size of the painting.
A. No Change C. displayed. Was
B. displayed, was D. displayed was

16. Punctuation cont. Colons
Typically what comes after a colon is an example, further information, or a list.
Used in two different ways:
To begin a list ; before the list there must be a complete statement
To separate two independent clauses or to introduce a quote
The group of words to the right of the colon does not have to be a complete thought. The group of words to the left does have to be a complete thought.

17. Example
Maria just purchased all of the camping supplies for our trip: a backpack, a sleeping bag, and a pair of hiking boots.
I didn’t know what to do: could either go camping or stay home and study for the ACT.

18. Punctuation cont. Dashes
Separate unrelated words from the rest of the sentence
Will usually be in pairs; Exception – if they are at the end of the sentence, you can have a dash and a period.

19. Example
I need to express my gratitude—not that any words could be adequate— but she just nodded and walked away.
Just outside the door to the cabin, we heard the howling of wolves—a sound that made our hair stand on end.

20. Commas are tested in six main ways on the ACT:
Punctuation cont.
Commas are tested in six main ways on the ACT:

21. Commas Items in a series
We packed our bags, jumped in the car, and headed on our way toward Chicago.

22. Commas 2. With a conjunction, between two independent clauses
Carrie played tennis competitively, but her brother enjoyed swimming more.
* If there are two verbs, but not two subjects, do not use a comma.

23. Commas 3. After a leading phrase or clause
As in many of these cases, the initial evidence seemed convincing.
Still, the credibility of some witnesses was in question.

24. Commas
4. After the word “said”…but only if there is a direct quote following.
She said, “Follow me to the classroom.”
She said that we should follow her to the classroom.

25. Commas
5. When separating two or more adjectives, but only if order doesn’t matter.
She wore pale pink nail polish.
David chose the cutest, quietest puppy.

26. Commas 6. Around nonessential words in the middle of a sentence
My father, who snores frequently, always sleeps on his back.
Necessary? No commas!
Extra? Yes commas

27. Commas
Appositives:
When the person is named first, and the description follows, use commas.
When the description occurs first, followed by the person’s name, do not use commas.

28. Practice!!