ACT English: Chapter 4

Directly from the Official ACT English book (Second Edition)

Parallel Structure

Follows the same pattern of wording in a phrase, sentence, and/or paragraph

Parallel Structure =

“I like drawing, painting, and knitting” OR “I like to draw, paint, and knit”

Logical Comparisons

It is important that two people, places or things are being compared correctly.

Use the phrase “that of” or “those of” to correct it.

Person = Person Art = Art Person ≠ Art

Logical Comparison =

Pablo Picasso’s abstract art is more widely known than that of Mark Rothko.

Correlative Conjunctions

are sets of words that connect parallel parts of a sentence: nouns w/ nouns, modifiers w/ modifiers.

Antecedents

the word that a pronoun takes the place of (in a sentence).

Antecedents in a sentence

The student liked his erasable pens because they wrote smoothly.

Reflexive Pronouns

The subject and object are the same. The doer of the action is also the receiver of the action

Reflexive Pronouns =

you/yourself, her/herself, me/myself

Being

this word is almost always wrong -as an answer choice- because it creates sentence fragments

Being → …

Best replaced with

because, a comma, an appositive phrase, a colon, or a simple present/past tense form of the verb to be (as is, was)

Who/Whoever

is subject of sentence, the person doing the action

Whom/Whomever

is the direct object, receiver of verb OR the (indirect) object of prepositions

Who’s

the contraction of who is.

Whose

the possessive form of who.

He/She =

Who

Him/Her =

Whom

His/Her =

Whose

He’s/She’s =

Who’s

If TWO successive adjectives some before a noun who may be asked to?

seperate them, with a comma OR and

Coordinate Adjectives

It was a cold, gloomy day.

It was a cold and gloomy day.

Cumulative Adjectives

Today I wore my purple cashmere sweater.

Comparative Adjectives

often end with -er, comparing 2 things.

Superlative Adjectives

often end with -est, comparing 3+ things.

Comparative Adj. =

Better, Older, Smarter

Superlative Adj. =

Best, Eldest, Smartest

Proper noun + Noun

Singer Norah Jones

Noun + Proper noun

Albert Einstein , an immigrant from Germany

Participial Phrases

usually begins with the word ending in -ing OR -ed

Adverbs

provide information on location, timing, reason, manner and intent. Also modify verbs and adjectives. End in -ly.

Adverb =

Downstairs, Strategically, Daily.

Linking verbs are modified by?

adjectives.

look beautiful, felt sad.

Misplaced Modifier can be fixed if?

the noun being modified is immediately before OR after the modifier.

Properly-placed Modifier

Featuring stunning photographs, the website was impressive.

Subject-Verb Agreement

To find a the subject, we have to find the verb (action word) in the sentence.

Place “to” in-front of the verb to see if it is logical.

Then ask “who is doing that verb?” to find the answer.

S/V Agreement =

His children want him to move to Florida.

“to want”

The children are the subject.

Singular or Plural?

If a word ends in -S, it is Singular.

The other words are Plural.

Singular

Is, Was, Has, Stops, Makes, Rewards.

Plural

Are, Were, Have, Stop, Make, Reward.