ACT English and Sentence Structure

==Characteristics of Correct Answers==

  • It is much easier to get to the correct answer using common sense than it is to use rules
  • The answer choice must contain: (depending on what is asked)
    • Complete sentences
    • Consistency
    • Clear meaning
    • Concision

@@Types of Questions@@

  1. Usage of Mechanics
  2. Rhetorical Skills

Steps to Get to the Correct Answers

  1. Figure out what the question is asking you to do
  2. Use the process of elimination to take out incorrect answers
  3. Be sure to contextually analyze to understand what the passage is trying to say (do not skip the text that isn’t underlined)
  4. Check the answer choice again
  5. If you can’t find a problem in the original answer, don’t change the original answer

%%Grammar Concepts on the Test%%

Verbs

  • Subject Verb Agreement
    • Singular verbs end in “s” (plural verbs don’t end in “s”)
    • A singular subject will correspond with a singular verb
    • A plural subject will correspond with a plural verb
  • Tense
    • The tense of the verb will depend on the time the sentence takes place
  • Simple Tense
    • Past
    • Present
    • Future
  • Perfect Tense (doesn’t appear often on the test)
    • In reference to has and have
  • Irregular Verbs (heavily tested)
    • Past participle of the irregular verb

Pronouns

  • Pronoun Agreement
    • Pronouns take the place of nouns in a sentence
    • A single subject will correspond to a single pronoun
    • A plural subject will correspond to a plural pronoun
  • Modifying Words
    • Adjectives describe nouns in a sentence
    • Adverbs work to describe everything else in a sentence
    • The suffix -er works as a comparison in a sentence (use depends on context)
    • The suffix -est works as a superlative in a sentence (use depends on context)

^^Complete and Incomplete Sentence Structure^^

  • Compete sentences have a complete idea and can stand on their own
  • They contain a subject and a verb
  • Incomplete sentences ate incomplete ideas and cannot stand on their own

Types of Incompete Sentences

  • Does not contain a subject and/or verb
  • Does not contain a main idea
  • Does not complete the idea

==Stop Punctuation==

  • Stop punctuation is used to separate two ideas that can stand alone

Types of Stop Punctuation

  • Periods (.)
  • Semicolon (;)
  • Question Mark (?)
  • Exclamation Point (!)
  • Comma + FANBOYS (,and)
  • Keep the context in mind before making a decision about the correct answer

@@Go Punctuation@@

  • Used to link anything but two fully completed ideas that are able to stand alone

Commas

  • Works to slow down an idea

When is it used?

  • To link who ideas with a FANBOYS in between
  • To link an incomplete idea with a complete one
  • To separate items in a list
  • To separate unneeded info from the rest of the sentence (the sentence will still make sense without the phrase in between the commas)

Half Stop

  • Colons (:)
  • Single dashes (-)
  • Used to connect a complete idea with a definition, explanation, or list

%%Conjunctions%%

  • Words that connect ideas (these words will cause an idea to become incomplete)
    • Although
    • Because
    • That
    • Until
    • etc…
  • These words will not always be necessary