ACT English Rules

Subject Verb Agreement

Singular subjects go w singular verbs; Plural subjects go w plural verbs.

Pronoun-Antecendent Agreement

Pronoun must match the number and gender of the antecendent

Ex) The Teachers finished grading their papers.

Antecendent

A word/phrase that establishes the meaning of a pronoun or other pro-form

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

Words that describe stuff must be next to the stuff they’re describing -_-

Parallel Structure

All items in a list or comparison must follow the same gramatical form

Commas and Fanboys

Use a comma before Fanboys(For And Nor But Or Yet So) when connecting independent clauses

Fanboys

For And Nor But Or Yet So

Introductory Commas

Use a comma after a introductory phrase

Comma w nonessential clause

Use a comma to seperate nonessential info from everything else

Semicolons

Semicolons connect two related independent clauses

Colon Usage

Colons Introduce lists, explanations or examples

Apostrophe Usage (It’s vs. Its)

Possesive contractions= Its. It’s(It is) otherwise

Sentance Fragments

Complete sentances must need a subject AND a verb -_-

Appostrophe Usage (Nouns)

Appostrophe+s with singular nouns
Appostrophe AFTER s with plural nouns

Run on Sentances

Seperate independent clauses (subject+verb) with punctuation

Redundancy

Don’t repeat the same idea -_-

Wordiness and Concisness

Always pick the most concise answer ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Idioms and Prepositions

Some phrases require specific prepositions
Ex) She is interested [in] science

Verb Tense Consistency

Verbs should match the timeframe of the sentance

Who v. Whom

Use Who when refering to the subject of a sentance [Replaceable w He/She]

Use Whom when refering to the object of a verb or preposition( person recieving the action) [Replaceable w Him/Her]