1. What do commas have to do with life?

2. Commas will not help you be a professional hockey player… 2 correct comma questions will improve your score by one entire point.

3. 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 57-58 55-56 52-54 50-51 49 48 45-47 43-44 40-42 38-39 ACT ScoreTotal questions you got correct

4. 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 57-58 55-56 52-54 50-51 49 48 45-47 43-44 40-42 38-39 ACT ScoreTotal questions you got correct

5. A perfect score is a 36 BUT…

6. You need 43-44 correct answers to earn a 19 This is the minimum score required to pass this test.

7. The basics

8. The ACT English Test 75 Questions 45 Minutes 5 passages 9 minutes per passage or… Roughly 30 seconds per question

9. SubjectNumber of Questions Usage/Mechanics40 Punctuation10 Basic Grammar and Usage 12 Sentence Structure18 Rhetorical Skills35 Strategy12 Organization11 Style12 Total75

10. Watch your time… When you see 60 seconds remaining, BUBBLE LIKE CRAZY! Leave no questions unbubbled!

11. After the final performance of one last practice landing, the French instructor nodded to the young African-American woman at the controls and jumped down to the ground. Bessie Coleman was on her own now. She lined up the nose of the open… 1.A.A. NO CHANGE B. one finally ultimate C. one final D. one last final B. C. D. 2.F.F. NO CHANGE G. off H. along J. OMIT the underlined portion G. H. J. 1 2 The Test Format

12. How to tackle this test Do not waste time reading the whole passage before answering questions Instead, Read each passage through, answering questions as you go in order.

13. How NOT to take this test Do NOT read only the underlined portion of the passage. Instead, read the entire passage, stopping along the way to answer questions as they appear. Do NOT read or skim the entire passage first before taking the test.

14. Focus on what you KNOW Do not wrack your brain on questions that you have no clue about Instead, work through the types of questions that are familiar and focus carefully on getting those questions correct.

15. Tackle harder and longer questions quickly the first time through, make an educated guess, then circle your guess. If you have time at the end of the whole test, return to the circled items, and fight through them.

16. “OMIT the underlined portion” When this appears as an answer choice, it is the correct answer more than 50% of the time. It’s not always the right answer choice, but consider it very carefully.

17. Today’s Plan: Tackle the grammatical rules that are tested MOST FREQUENTLY on the ACT

18. Sentence Fragments The ACT always contains. A few sentence fragments. Like these. A sentence must include a subject and verb.

19. Try this! The bride and groom drove away in their car. As the children ran behind, shouting and laughing. 1.A. NO CHANGE B. While the C. During which the D. The 1 Notice that the answer choices won’t let you connect the sentences.

20. The answer is D

21. Try this! Although it will always be associated with Shakespeare’s famous literary character. The castle at Elsinore was never home to Hamlet. 1.A. NO CHANGE B. character, the C. character; the D. A 1 Notice that the answer choices that make sense force you to connect the sentences.

22. The answer is B

23. Comma Splices and Run-ons Often, two independent sentences are jammed together in one sentence with only a comma to hold them together: Aunt Sally ran into the room, Tom was gone. or there is no comma Aunt Sally swept up the shards of glass she was furious.

24. There is not much difference between the decision to enter politics and the decision to jump into a pit full of rattlesnakes, in fact, you might find a friendlier environment in the snake pit. 1 1.A. NO CHANGE B. rattlesnakes. In fact C. rattlesnakes in fact D. rattlesnakes, in fact Try this!

25. The answer is B

26. Check the punctuation As soon as you see that the answer choices give you the option of breaking up the sentence into two pieces, consider whether there might be a comma splice or run-on problem.

27. The college’s plans for expansion included a new science building and a new dormitory if the funding drive was successful, there will be enough money for both. 1.A. NO CHANGE B. dormitory, if C. dormitory; if, D. dormitory. If Try this! 1

28. The answer is D

29. Misplaced Modifiers A modifying phrase needs to be near what it is modifying. Sweeping up the shards of glass, the missing key to the jewelry box was found by Aunt Sally Who is sweeping up the shards of glass, the key or Aunt Sally?

30. Walking to the pawnshop, Bob’s watch dropped into the sewer. 1.A. NO CHANGE B. Bob’s watch dropped in the sewer C. Bob dropped his watch into the sewer D. Bob’s dropped his watch into the sewer Try this! 1 Who is walking to the pawn shop, Bob or his watch?

31. The answer is C

32. Stepping to avoid the large puddle, I carefully tripped and fell. 1.A. NO CHANGE B. (Place after Stepping) C. (Place after and) D. (Place after fell) Try this! 1

33. The answer is B

34. Non-parallel construction This is a big ticket item on the test. Watch for a list, as follows:

35. A list of verbs When Tom finally came home, Aunt Sally kissed him, hugged him, and gives him his favorite dessert after dinner. Are these verbs all in the same (parallel) tense?

36. A list of nouns Three explanations for Sid’s locking himself in his room were a desire to do his homework, a sense that he needed to hone his college essays, and hating his brother Tom, who always got away with murder. Are these nouns all in the same (parallel) tense?

37. Sometimes the list is only two items To see the beauty of a sunset in Venice is experiencing perfection. The Solution? To see the beauty of a sunset in Venice is to experience perfection.

38. Pronoun Agreement A pronoun must always agree with the noun to which it refers. Any young boy who watched the first moon landing probably spent the next few years wishing that they could become an astronaut. Do the noun and pronoun agree in number?

39. Watch out for the tricks of singular pronouns… Neither of the two young girls with whom I watched the first moon landing expressed their feelings out loud, but I knew that all three of us wanted to be astronauts.

40. Neither is singular Neither of the two young girls with whom I watched the first moon landing expressed her feelings out loud, but I knew that all three of us wanted to be astronauts. And so are the following: anybody, anyone, each, everybody, everyone, somebody, someone, nobody. If it refers to “one,” then it’s singular.

41. Although the American bald eagle has been on the endangered species list for years, they have been sighted in wildlife preserves much more frequently during the past two years. 1.A. NO CHANGE B. they are C. it can be D. it has been Try this! 1

42. The answer is D

43. Who/Whom There are two simple tricks to this problem that usually work: 1.If “who” follows a preposition (to, from, below, etc), then it should be WHOM. 2.Turn the sentence into a question starting with “who” and answer it with “him” or “he.” If you can answer it with “him,” which ends in an “m,” then the correct choice is “whom.”

44. Here’s how it works Problem: The boy (who/whom) went to the store the other day was nice. Question: Who went to the store the other day? Answer the question: He went to the store. ("he" doesn't end with "m" so the answer can't be "whom") Solution: The boy who went to the store the other day was nice.

45. Let’s try this one… Problem: The person to who/whom you are sending the mail is in Alaska. Question: Who are you sending the mail to? Answer the question: You are sending the mail to him. (him ends with "m," just like "whom," so "whom" is the answer. Solution: The person to whom you are sending the mail is in Alaska. Also, notice that the sentence uses “to,” a preposition, meaning the sentence must use “whom.”

46. The students, who had been studying the space program, were thrilled to witness the lunar landing. 1.A. NO CHANGE B. about whom had been studying the space program, C. whom had been studying the space program, D. Who had been studying the space program Try this! 1

47. The answer is A

48. Subject/Verb Agreement The verb must always agree with its subject in number. The best moment during a broadcast filled with many great moments were when the astronaut stepped out of the lunar lander and bounced on the moon. Do the subject and verb agree in number? Don’t fall for the trick

49. Verb Tense Be sure that the verbs agree with each other or are in the same tense. Sam is walking down the street when he found a large suitcase. Do the verb tenses agree?

50. My car, which ran fine the other day when I drove it to the store down the road, explodes with a “boom,” and I don’t know how to fix it. 1.A. NO CHANGE B. has an explosion C. exploded D. was an explosion Try this! 1

51. The answer is C

52. Commas More than half of the punctuation questions on the ACT test your knowledge of comma rules.

53. Commas separate items in a list Find the mistake below: When Mary walked into the classroom, she saw a school teacher a doctor a woman eating a bagel and a bird.,, EEKS! Is the woman eating a bagel and a bird?

54. When Mary walked into the classroom, she saw a school teacher a doctor a woman eating a bagel and a bird., The Solution!,, Count the number of items. You should have one fewer comma than the total number of items.

55. Commas separate, independent clauses Mary wondered why there was a bird in the classroom and she decided to ask the teacher what the bird was doing indoors. Look for separate clauses…

56. Mary wondered why there was a bird in the classroom, and she decided to ask the teacher what the bird was doing indoors. The comma goes BEFORE the conjunction such as “and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet” The Solution!

57. Commas separate information that is unnecessary from what is necessary. My father, who snores loudly, always sleeps in his long johns.

58. Now you try it – solve this one! Mary who by now was very confused stopped in front of the woman.

59. The Solution… Mary, who by now was very confused, stopped in front of the woman.

60. Semicolons ; Use a semicolon instead of a period to connect two related, complete sentences.

61. Can you spot both sentences? Where should the semicolon go? Just then, the woman screamed the bird jumped up and perched on her head.

62. The Solution! Just then, the woman screamed; the bird jumped up and perched on her head.

63. The however, nevertheless, furthermore, and on the other hand signals… Often, if you see these words, they indicate a need for a semicolon.

64. The Bobcats won several games however they did not make the state tournament. Try this!

65. The Bobcats won several games; however, they did not make the state tournament.

66. Colons: Colons are usually used after a complete statement to introduce a list of related details. The list can have many items or just the one.

67. Maria just purchased all the camping supplies for our trip, a backpack, a sleeping bag, and a pair of hiking boots. Try this!

68. Maria just purchased all the camping supplies for our trip: a backpack, a sleeping bag, and a pair of hiking boots. The Solution… The statement in red is a complete thought…

69. Maria just purchased all the camping supplies for our trip, including: a backpack, a sleeping bag, and a pair of hiking boots. BEWARE! Watch out for colons that follow “including” or “such as.” The statement before the colon is no longer a complete thought.

70. Dashes – Dashes separate a word or group of words from the rest of the sentence. Dashes indicate an interruption in thought or to introduce an afterthought.

71. Sample My best friend – but I am afraid to tell you this – lives in a haunted house run by the mafia.

72. You try it… I tried to express my gratitude not that any words could be adequate but she just nodded and walked away.

73. The Solution I tried to express my gratitude – not that any words could be adequate – but she just nodded and walked away.

74. Apostrophes’ rules Apostrophes indicate possession Pete’s new car Women’s issues The girls’ room is down the hall Apostrophes also indicate dropped letters.

75. Its / It’s / Its’ This is the most common apostrophe error you will see on the ACT. It’s should only be used when you intend it to mean “it is.” There is NO word “it’s” to indicate possession, just like “his” and “her” show possession but do not use an apostrophe.

76. Try This! Where should the apostrophe go? I wanted to help the cat with its tangled fur, but it ran away.

77. Solution – it was correct all along! I wanted to help the cat with its tangled fur, but it ran away. If you could replace “its” with “his” or “her,” then don’t use an apostrophe!

78. The word its’ isn’t a word at all. Don’t fall for this trick… ITS’ = A LIE!

79. Strategy questions 12 strategy questions These are like questions from the Reading ACT (more on this tomorrow) such as “What is the main point of the passage” and “How could you revise the passage to be more clear.”

80. Style Questions Redundancy – saying the same thing twice and repeating it over and over… Simplify, Simplify, Simplify! Don’t fall for complicated wording just because it looks “smarter.”

81. Can you spot redundancy? Cheap and inexpensive gifts can be found in the shopping district. Weak and lacking strength, the old car could not make it up the hill. After birth, the newborn babies are weighed by a nurse.

82. The Vietnam veterans were recently memorialized by a memorial sculpture in Washington. 1.A. NO CHANGE B. memorialized by a C. memorialized with a new memoria D. memorialized in a recent Try this! 1

83. The answer is B

84. Organization questions Figure out which sentence should come FIRST! Look at the answer choices to see which sentences you have to consider as contenders for the first slot. The first sentence should give an overall, topic sentence type of feeling.

85. [1] van Gogh, particularly in his later paintings, creates thick swirls of paint that perhaps mirror the emotional storm raging within. [2] DuFevre piles the paint onto the canvas in thick swatches that rise off the canvas by a good half inch at times. [3] Perhaps the most telling similarity between van Gogh and DuFevre, the little-known modern surrealist, lies in their use of brushstrokes. [4] It is almost as if he is challenging van Gogh to a contest to determine who was more emotionally disturbed. 1.A. NO CHANGE B. 1, 3, 2, 4 C. 1, 4, 3, 2 D. 3, 1, 2, 4 Try this! 1

86. The answer is D

87. [1] van Gogh, particularly in his later paintings, creates thick swirls of paint that perhaps mirror the emotional storm raging within. [2] DuFevre piles the paint onto the canvas in thick swatches that rise off the canvas by a good half inch at times. [3] Perhaps the most telling similarity between van Gogh and DuFevre, the little-known modern surrealist, lies in their use of brushstrokes. [4] It is almost as if he is challenging van Gogh to a contest to determine who was more emotionally disturbed. 1.A. NO CHANGE B. 1, 3, 2, 4 C. 1, 4, 3, 2 D. 3, 1, 2, 4 Which sentence is the topic? 1

88. Meaning/Main point questions The writer intends to add the following sentence to the essay in order to provide a comparison that would help underline the challenges that Bessie Coleman faced: Her dream of becoming the world's first black woman pilot seemed as remote in Chicago as it had been in Oklahoma. In order to accomplish this purpose, it would be most logical and appropriate to place this sentence after the: 15.A.A. first sentence in Paragraph 2. B. first sentence in Paragraph 3. C. last sentence in Paragraph 3. D. first sentence in Paragraph 5. B. C. D. This question is worth only one point – the same as a comma or parallel verb tense question. If you know you are short on time when taking this test, take a quick guess and MOVE ON! You can come back to it at the end if you finish early!

89. Good Luck! You can do this!