ACT English: Grammar, Usage, Rhetoric, and Effective Revision

ACT English test

An editing test in which you choose revisions that are grammatically correct, clear, concise, and consistent with the writer’s purpose.

Sentence boundaries

The grammatical limits between complete thoughts; many ACT errors involve fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.

Independent clause

A complete sentence unit with a subject, a finite verb, and a complete thought.

Fragment

A group of words punctuated like a sentence but lacking an independent clause.

Dependent-clause fragment

A fragment that begins with a subordinating word such as because, although, when, if, since, or while and does not complete a full sentence by itself.

Relative-clause fragment

A fragment beginning with which, that, who, whom, or whose that lacks a main clause.

Phrase fragment

An incomplete sentence made from a phrase, such as a prepositional or participial phrase, rather than a full clause.

Run-on sentence

An error in which two independent clauses are joined without correct punctuation or a proper connecting word.

Comma splice

A specific run-on in which a comma alone incorrectly joins two independent clauses.

FANBOYS

The coordinating conjunctions for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so, used with a comma to join two independent clauses.

Conjunctive adverb

A connector such as however, therefore, moreover, or nevertheless that usually requires a semicolon or period before it when joining clauses.

Subject-verb agreement

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number, not just the nearest noun.

Verb tense consistency

The principle that verb tenses should stay logically consistent unless a clear time shift is needed.

Past perfect

The tense formed with had plus a past participle to show an action completed before another past action.

Mood

A verb feature that expresses certainty, possibility, permission, or hypothetical conditions.

Subjunctive mood

A verb form used for hypotheticals or contrary-to-fact statements, as in If I were you.

Active voice

A sentence pattern in which the subject performs the action, usually making the writing clearer and more direct.

Passive voice

A sentence pattern in which the subject receives the action; it is not always wrong but can be wordier or less clear.

Pronoun-antecedent agreement

The rule that a pronoun must match the noun it replaces in number and, when relevant, gender.

Antecedent

The noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers to.

Pronoun reference

The clarity of what a pronoun points to; unclear or vague reference can confuse the reader.

Pronoun case

The form a pronoun takes depending on its role in the sentence, such as subject forms like I and object forms like me.

Who

The subject pronoun used when the pronoun performs the action in a clause.

Whom

The object pronoun used when the pronoun receives the action or follows a preposition.

Modifier

A word or phrase that describes or limits another word and should be placed near what it modifies.

Misplaced modifier

A modifier placed too far from the word it describes, creating confusion or unintended meaning.

Dangling modifier

An introductory modifier with no logical subject to attach to in the sentence.

Parallel structure

The use of matching grammatical forms in a list, pair, or comparison to show equal ideas clearly.

Nonessential information

Extra information that can be removed without changing the sentence’s core meaning and should be set off with commas, dashes, or parentheses.

Essential information

Information that identifies exactly which noun is meant and should not be set off with commas.

Semicolon

A punctuation mark used to join two closely related independent clauses; both sides must be complete sentences.

Colon

A punctuation mark used after a complete sentence to introduce a list, explanation, example, or elaboration.

Dash

A punctuation mark used to set off extra information with stronger emphasis than commas.

Parentheses

Punctuation used to enclose extra information in a quieter, more aside-like way than commas or dashes.

Apostrophe

A punctuation mark used to show possession or form contractions, not to make regular plurals.

Concision

Expressing an idea in the fewest words necessary without losing meaning or sounding unnatural.

Redundancy

Unnecessary repetition of the same idea, often making a sentence wordy.

Idiom

A conventional phrasing or standard preposition pattern in edited English, such as capable of or different from.

Tone

The attitude conveyed by a passage, such as neutral, formal, enthusiastic, or skeptical.

Precision

Choosing the most exact word for the intended meaning rather than a vague or loosely related synonym.

Paragraph unity

The principle that a paragraph should focus on one controlling idea and include only supporting sentences.

Transition

A word or phrase that signals the relationship between ideas, such as addition, contrast, cause and effect, example, or time.

Logical order

An arrangement of ideas that makes sense through clear chronology, references, and movement from general to specific when needed.

Add/Delete question

A rhetorical ACT question that asks whether a sentence should be added, kept, or removed based on relevance and redundancy.

Coordination

A way of connecting ideas that treats them as roughly equal in importance, often with a coordinating conjunction.

Subordination

A way of connecting ideas that makes one clause dependent to show relationships such as cause, time, or contrast.

Relative clause

A clause beginning with words like that, which, or who that describes a noun and may be essential or nonessential.

Appositive

A noun phrase that renames another noun; nonessential appositives are set off with commas.

Comparison logic

The rule that comparisons must compare like with like and use comparative or superlative forms appropriately.

NO CHANGE

An answer choice that must be tested like every other option; it is sometimes the correct answer.