the act english test 5 passages 75 questions 45minutes 9 minutes per passage

The ACT English Test 5 Passages 75 Questions 45Minutes 9 Minutes Per Passage

Usage and Mechanics Punctuation (13%) Basic Grammar & Usage (16%) Sentence Structure (24%) Rhetorical Skills Strategy (16%) Organization (15%) Style (16%)

Directions In the following five passages, certain words and phrases have been underlined and numbered. You will find alternatives for each underlined portion in the right-hand column. Select the one that best expresses the idea, that makes the statement acceptable in standard written English, or that is phrased most consistently with the style and tone of the entire passage.

SUGGESTED APPROACH 2. Do NOT read the directions! 3. Scan each passage before you start to read. TOPIC STYLE TONE ORGANIZATION 4. Read the ENTIRE passage. 5. Answer the questions as you come to them. 7. Look for the most common errors. 6. Circle answers in test booklet first! 1. Set your watch to 11:15.

Most Common Errors Tested on the ACT English Singulars and Plurals (especially the word they) Pronoun Usage(I or me, he or him, etc) Parenthetical Phrases and Punctuation Idiomatic Preposition Use (in, of, on, to, for) Apostrophe Use(its or its) (whose or whos) Proper Word Usage(there, their, theyre) (are, our) Unidiomatic Verb Use (-ing endings)

Subject Case I He SheWeThey WhoWhoever Object Case MeHim HerUsThem Whom Whomever Pronoun Usage

MOST common error in this area? The use of THEY Singulars and Plurals When a friend borrows my car, I usually ask them to fill it with gas before they return it. When friends borrow my car, I usually ask them to fill it with gas before they return it.

Subject or Object Case Pronoun? If you have any questions about grammar usage, ask (I /me) to help you. Read it again WITHOUT the words your English teacher or If you have any questions about grammar usage, ask your English teacher or (I / me) to help you. Example: Rephrased: STRATEGY: Leave out part of the sentence.

WHO or WHOM? How do you decide? STRATEGY: Use the Him/He Test 1)Re-order the part of the sentence containing who or whom. 2)Rephrase with he or him. Where him is the proper choice, then whom would also be correct.

I wonder who/whom he bribed to get this position. To get this position, he bribed him. Sample Problem Correct Choice: Whom

The drama teacher liked him. Whoever/Whomever the drama teacher liked received a part in the play. Correct Choice: Whomever Sample Problem

Use the subject case if the pronoun 1)precedes a verb AND 2) is the subject of that verb. Caution with the Him/He Test

The police gave tickets to whoever/whomever had parked in front of the fire hydrant. 1) Is the pronoun followed by a verb? Yes 2) Does that pronoun appear to be the subject of that verb? (Didwhoever actually do the parking?) Yes Sample Problem

Its vs. It's Incorrect: "Its mine." Correct: "It's mine." Its is possessive. It's is a contraction of it is. Whenever you see that apostrophe, always translate it's to it is. The ACT will regularly include Its as an answer choice. This is NEVER correct.

Its or Its?Whose or Whos? The apostrophe takes the place of a letter. Its = It isWhos = Who is Slow down when you come to these. Read the sentence as It is or Who is to be SURE youve chosen the correct answer. STRATEGY:

Sample Problem Whos / Whose Line Is It Anyway is a funny television show. Its /Its on the comedy channel. 1. Who is Line Is It Anyway 2. Whose Line Is It Anyway OR

Sample Problem Whos / Whose Line Is It Anyway is a funny television show. Its /Its on the comedy channel. 1. It is on the comedy channel OR 2. Its on the comedy channel

For questions involving proper word usage SLOW DOWN and READ CAREFULLY!!!!! Our & Are Our = possessionAre = Verb Our is spelled like your. Helpful Tip:

There vs. They're vs. Their People get these mixed up all the time. Let's look at these words in their correct form: "The book is over there." "That's their book." "They're getting the book." Remember, their is possessive. You're talking about who owns what. They're is a contraction. If the sentence sounds fine when you reword it with they are, you know you're using the right pronoun. There refers to where someone or something is.

There, their, and theyre There contains the word here. Their = Possession. Theyre = They are There = Location Substitute They are in the sentence and see if it makes sense.

ESSENTIAL PHRASES Essential means it has to be there. Without the information, the sentence is unclear. The essential information CANNOT be eliminated for the sentence to hold the main idea. THE RULE Do NOT surround essentials with punctuation. EXAMPLE: We watched the award-winning movie "The Departed. Why no commas? Lots of movies win awards. EXAMPLE: We had four hamburgers. The hamburger that was on the table is missing. Everything in the second sentence is "essential. Use "that" and no commas. One more time Do not set off the essential (important) clauses or phrases with any punctuation.

Nonessential Phrases These are phrases and clauses that provide EXTRA information that is NOT necessary to the meaning of the sentence. They can be eliminated and the sentence still holds the main idea. THE RULE: Use commas, dashes or parentheses to set off nonessentials. REMEMBER: Use parentheses, commas or dashes to surround nonessentials. If they begin a sentence, use a comma after the nonessential word or phrase. Example: My uncle, who is eighty years old, walks three miles every day. Example: We had one hamburger. The hamburger, which was on the table, is missing. (There was only one hamburger, so you dont have to tell which one was missing.) One more time Use punctuation, like commas, to set off a nonessential clause. Start such clauses with which.

LETS REVIEW If you can leave out the clause and still understand the sentence It is nonessential; you use a "which" clause and surround it with commas. Otherwise, use a "that" clause (without a comma).

Parenthetical Phrases RULE: Parenthetical phrases must begin AND end with the same punctuation mark. Definition: Phrases which could be removed and the sentence would still be complete. Bob, on his way to the store, saw a lizard. Bob saw a lizard.

Punctuation Sample Problem A. NO CHANGE B. kit, ten C. kit; ten D. kit: ten D. On the day of the test, his over-protective mother packed him an ACT survival kit. Ten sharpened pencils, a pencil sharpener, a calculator, a pack of batteries, three different-weight sweaters, four pieces of fruit, a liter of spring water and a box of tissues.

What are they? Some common examples This expression just refers to commonly accepted usage of a word or phrase. ACT tests your ability to recognize idiomatic prepositional phrases. * Incorrect: She prefers skiing over snowboarding. * Correct She prefers skiing to snowboarding. * Incorrect I dont have a favorable opinion toward Beethovens music. * Correct I dont have a favorable opinion of Beethovens music. IDIOMS

Idiomatic Preposition Use Certain phrases require the use of particular prepositions. STRATEGY: Trust your ear. Is that what most people say? I will pick you up tonight at quarter of six. I will pick you up tonight at quarter to six.

More Idiomatic Prepositions She tried to instill on me a respect to the law. She tried to instill in me a respect of the law. I want to protect you in all dangers. I want to protect you from all dangers.

Unidiomatic Verb Use (-ing endings) RULE: -ing endings are used to indicate repeated or continuous action and should NOT be used for a single action that occurs once. When I left for the store, I was forgetting my list. Example: Correction: When I left for the store, I forgot my list.

Correct more than half of the time. It is unnecessary It is repetitious, or It is wordy OMIT the Material When When in doubt, take it out!

Example of Wordiness As I previously mentioned to you when explaining at last weeks meeting the incredible and undisputed advantages of combining our two clubs, The Poetry Society and the Poets Outside, I have written up here for your further study my thoughts on the matter, detailing the many benefits that will accrue to both organizations. At last weeks meeting, I said there were benefits to combining our two clubs. Heres a note repeating why.

Spielbergs Amistad is the filmmakers second attempt to show that someone who is an unexcelled creator of funny, fast-paced action movies can also be a producer of films that try to deal in a serious fashion with weighty historical and moral themes. (42 words) Spielbergs Amistad is the filmmakers second attempt at dealing in a serious fashion with weighty historical and moral themes. (19 words) Spielbergs Amistad is the filmmakers second attempt to show that an unexcelled creator of funny, fast-paced action movies can also produce films dealing seriously with weighty historical and moral themes. (30 words)

The remarkable growth in increased attendance currently being enjoyed by such formerly moribund sports franchises as baseballs Cleveland Indians shows that building a new stadium can have a powerful effect on the popularity of a team. A.NO CHANGE B.The growth in attendance remarkably being enjoyed currently C.The remarkable growth in attendance currently enjoyed D.The remarkable attendance boom currently enjoyed C.

Later, Pike fell while valiantly defending America in the War of 1812. It goes without saying that this took place after he discovered Pikes Peak. He actually died near York (now called Toronto) F.NO CHANGE G.Clearly, this must have occurred subsequent to his discovering Pikes Peak. H.This was after he found Pikes Peak. I.OMIT the underlined portion. I.

[1] The immigration laws led, ultimately, to a quota system based on the number of individuals of each national origin reported in the 1890 census. [2] The United States, which was founded mainly by people who had emigrated from northern Europe, had an essentially open-door immigration policy for the first 100 years of existence. [3] But starting in the 1880s and continuing through the 1920s, Congress passed a series of restrictive immigration laws. [4] The door to freedom hadnt been slammed shut, exactly, but was now open only to the right sort of people. Which of the following sequences of sentences will make this paragraph most logical? A. 4,3,1,2B. 2,3,1,4 C. 1,3,2,4D. 2,3,4,1

School Paper Editorial The first reason why the Denville school district should not be combined with the Jackson school district is the fact that the schools have been sports rivals for too long. Trying to unite the schools after so many years of competition would inevitably lead to friction. [2] 1 1.A. NO CHANGE B. because of the fact that C. about D. that D.

The first reason why the Denville school district should not be combined with the Jackson school district is the fact that the schools have been sports rivals for too long. Trying to unite the schools after so many years of competition would inevitably lead to friction. [2] 2. Is the authors introductory paragraph effective? A.Yes, because it gets immediately to the problem B.No, because an introduction should outline the whole subject. C.No, because it doesnt say how many other reasons there will be. D.Yes, because sports is the number one interest of most students. B.

Important Points Dont try to correct EVERY sentence. Trust your ear. 1/3 of English items concern redundancy, verbosity, and relevance. NEVER let the passage repeat itself. Stay true to the authors tone.

CAUTION! Dont Add a New Mistake Avoid Changing the Meaning When Editing

Grammar Review Among those who played a crucial role in the Northern victory at Gettysburg were Joshua Chamberlain, a Union colonel from Maine who later enjoyed a distinguished career as an educator and politician. Among those who played a crucial role in the Northern victory at Gettysburg was Joshua Chamberlain, a Union colonel from Maine who later enjoyed a distinguished career as an educator and politician.

Dismayed by the news that a top executive had suddenly accepted a job with a competitor, the price of the companys stock fell sharply the next day. Problem: Dangling Modifier Possible correction: Stockholders were dismayed,and the price

A fabled center of monastic life during the Middle Ages, each summer thousands of visitors travel to the island of Iona near the coast of Ireland. Problem: Misplaced Modifier Suggestion: Move A fabled center of monastic life during the Middle Ages after the phrase the island of Iona.

In the 90s, albums by Pearl Jam appeared consistent on the charts even without the exposure of music videos. In the 90s, albums by Pearl Jam appeared consistently on the charts even without the exposure of music videos.

Although the hospital administrators interviewed many staff members about the repeated cases of staph infections they had no explanation for the puzzling pattern of outbreaks. Possible Correction: Although the hospital administrators interviewed many staff members about the repeated cases of staph infections the staff had no explanation for the puzzling pattern of outbreaks. WHO had no explanation? The administrators? The staff?

Each member of the tour group should have their tickets by the end of the week. Each member of the tour group should have his or her tickets by the end of the week. Problem: pronoun usage OR All members of the tour group should have their tickets by the end of the week.

Representatives to the student senate were asked to pursue often contradictory goals: boosting student acceptance of more homework, developing explanations for adding two hours to the length of each school day, and the reduction of rampant poor morale. Problem: Parallelism

Representatives to the student senate were asked to pursue often contradictory goals: boosting student acceptance of more homework, developing explanations for adding two hours to the length of each school day, and the reduction of rampant poor morale. reducing rampant poor morale.

In the Olympics the first place winner gets a gold medal, second place, a silver medal, and third place, a bronze medal. In the Olympics the first place winner gets a gold medal; second place, a silver medal; and third place, a bronze medal.

Princess Diana, for who the song Candle in the Wind was written died tragically in an automobile accident. Princess Diana, for whom the song Candle in the Wind was written, died tragically in an automobile accident.

The children had been playing in the park, they were covered in mud. A.The children had been playing in the park. They were covered in mud. B.The children had been playing in the park, and they were covered in mud. C.The children had been playing in the park; they were covered in mud.

INCONCEIVABLE! YOU KEEP USING THAT WORD. I DO NOT THINK IT MEANS WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS. ~ INIGO MONTOYA, THE PRINCESS BRIDE Commonly Misused Words

Accept vs. Except Incorrect: "I except your gift." Correct: "I accept your gift." Accept means to receive something. Except means to exclude something. Example: "I accept everything you're offering, except for the fruitcake."

Advice vs. Advise Incorrect: "I didn't ask for your advise." Correct: "I didn't ask for your advice." Advise is a verb. Advice is a noun. You can advise someone, but you can't advice him.

Affect vs. Effect Incorrect: "The rain has a bad affect on my mood." Correct: "The rain has a bad effect on my mood." The one that starts with an a, affect, is a verb. This is when something is ACTING upon something else. For example, "We don't know how the rising cost of pizza will affect the economy." Effect is a noun. It's passive, not doing anything in particular; it's just there. For example, "The rising cost of pizza didn't have much effect." Tip for remembering the difference: A is for Action! Action = Affect.

All Right vs. Alright and A lot vs. Alot Sorry, but alright is incorrect. It's correctly spelled as two words: All right. A lot is correct. (also two words) Alot, on the other hand, is NOT a real word.

Cite vs. Sight vs. Site Incorrect: "You're a site for sore eyes." Correct: "You're a sight for sore eyes." Sight refers to either your vision or to something you see. For example, seeing the sights around town. Site refers to a physical location, such as a house or a neighborhood. There are construction sites, for examples. Cite means to quote something, usually something of authority. Citing can also be a case of mentioning supporting facts. Christians, for example, frequently cite the Bible as the foundation for their beliefs.

Compliment vs. Complement Incorrect: "I complemented her on her good cooking." Correct: "I complimented her on her good cooking." When you pay someone a compliment, you are expressing admiration for something. You are complimenting someone when you tell him he gave a great speech, or when you tell him you like his Mickey Mouse watch. However, a complement is something that enhances or completes something else. A nice tie complements a suit. A dessert of pumpkin pie complements a great turkey dinner.

Dessert vs. Desert Incorrect: "We had chocolate cake for desert." Correct: "We had chocolate cake for dessert." Dessert refers to the scrumptious pies, cakes, and ice cream we get to eat if we finish dinner. A desert is a dry, barren, often hot and sandy place. It's easy to get the two mixed up, so here's a way to remember the difference:. STRESSED backwards spells DESSERTS.

Lay vs. Lie Incorrect: "Now lie me down to sleep." Correct: "Now lay me down to sleep." Lay is used when something is being acted upon. Lie is something you do without anyone or anything doing something to you. Example: "I decided to lie down on the floor." Here's where things get more confusing: The past tense of lie is lay. The past tense of lay is laid. Examples: "I laid down the piggy bank." "The piggy bank lay there yesterday." Even I have a hard time keeping these words straight. Mixing up lay and laid isn't likely to get you barbecued by grouchy grammarians.

Then vs. Than Incorrect: "I thought you knew better then that." Correct: "I thought you knew better than that." People get these mixed up all the time. These words should not be used interchangeably. Here's the difference: Then refers to a point in time, usually after something has happened or some condition is met. "First we mix the flour and sugar, then we add the butter." Than is used for comparing things, such as length, height, weight, etc. "I think this dog weighs more than me."

Your, Youre Your is a possessive pronoun. Example: Sunscreen protects your skin from sun damage. Youre is a contraction of you are. Example: When youre at the beach, always remember to wear sunscreen.

Beside, Besides Beside means alongside or at the side of; besides means in addition to. Examples: He walked to class beside his friend. Besides walking to class, the friends often ate lunch together.

Good, Well Good is an adjective that means something is as it should be or is better than average. When used as an adjective, well means suitable, proper or healthy. When used as an adverb, well means in a satisfactory manner or skillfully. Examples: The bread smells good. The trumpet sounds good. The computer works well. She did well on her exams.

Imply, Infer Imply means to suggest indirectly (youre sending a subtle message). To infer is to come to a conclusion based on information (youre interpreting a message).

Insure, Ensure Insure is correct only when you call up Geico or State Farm for coverage. Ensure means to guarantee, and thats most often what youre trying to say, right?

Irregardless Irregardless is not a word. Use regardless or irrespective. Towards is wrong in American English. Use toward. Afterwards is wrong in American English. Its afterward.

Whether, If Whether should be used when listing alternatives. Example: Traci could not decide whether to order the fish or the chicken. If should be used when referring to a future possibility. Example: If Traci orders the fish, she will be served more quickly.

Number, Amount Number is used when the items can be counted. Example: The number of students enrolled at Valley College has increased during the last five years. Amount denotes quantity. Example: A small amount of rain has fallen so far this year.

Like, Such as Like indicates similarity. Example: Kate and Allie were very close, like two peas in a pod. Such as indicates an example or examples. Example: Composers such as Mozart and Bach are among my favorites.

Fewer, Less Use fewer with objects that can be counted one-by-one. Example: Trish received all the credit, even though she worked fewer hours on the project than did the other members of the group. Use less with qualities or quantities that cannot be individually counted. Example: I drank less water than she did.

Farther, Further Farther refers to distance. Example: At baseball camp, Jack learned that with the correct stance and technique, he could throw the ball farther this year than he could last year. Further indicates additional degree, time, or quantity. It can also be used as a verb. Example: I enjoyed the book to a certain degree, but I felt that the author should have provided further details about the characters. Example: Kim furthered her education by taking summer classes.

Compare to, Compare with Compare to means assert a likeness. Example: The only way to describe her eyes is to compare them to the color of the sky. Compare with means analyze for similarities and differences. Example: For her final project, Susan had to compare bike riding with other aerobic activities and report her findings.

Among, Between Among is used with more than two items. Example: Jackies performance last night was the best among all the actors in the play. Between is usually used with two items. Example: Simon could not decide between the two puppies at the pound, so he adopted them both.

Sit, Set Set is a transitive verb meaning to put or to place. Its principal parts are set, set, set. Sit is an intransitive verb meaning to be seated. Its principal parts are sit, sat, sat. She set the dough in a warm corner of the kitchen. The cat sat in the warmest part of the room.

Principle, Principal Principal when used as a noun means the top dog; as an adjective, it means the most important of any set. Principle is a noun meaning a fundamental truth, a law, a rule that always applies, or a code of conduct.

Could of vs. Could have Could of vs. could have (contraction: could've) There is no such phrase as could of; you should never use it. (The same is true of should of.) Correct Usage : Jim could have earned a higher score if he had concentrated more. Susie could've graduated with honors if she hadn't been so involved in extracurricular events. Incorrect Usage We could of been conference champions in football if our star quarterback hadn't broken his arm.

Precede, Proceed The verb precede means to come before. Proceed means to move forward. "He preceded me into the room; once I caught up with him I proceeded to tell him off."

Passed, Past Passed is the past tense and past participle of pass. Past refers to time gone by; it is also a preposition meaning beyond. "In the past decade, I passed over countless opportunities; I was determined not to let them get past me again."

the act english test 5 passages 75 questions 45minutes 9 minutes per passage

Documents