ENGLISH TEST 45 Minutes – 75 Questions Five passages or essays multiple-choice test questions that are numbered consecutively. Each question corresponds to an underlined portion in the passage or to a box located in the passage. Refers to underlined portions of the passage and offers alternatives. OR Asks about an underlined portion, a section of the passage, or the passage as a whole. Many questions include "NO CHANGE." Spelling, vocabulary, and rote recall of rules of grammar aren't tested.

Content Covered by the ACT English Test 6 elements of the English Test: 1. Punctuation 2. Grammar and usage 3. Sentence structure 4. Strategy 5. Organization 6. Style Usage/Mechanics Rhetorical Skills Punctuation (13% 10 questions) Strategy (16% 12 questions) Grammar and Usage (16% 12 questions) Organization (15% 11 questions) Sentence Structure (24% 18 questions) Style (16% 12 questions)

ENGLISH TEST FORMAT More than half of the English questions will have a word, phrase, or sentence in a passage underlined. 4 Options Leave the underlined portion alone (NO CHANGE, which is always the first choice) Or: replace it with one of three alternatives. Measures your knowledge of the rules of “standard written English as well as the rules of rhetoric.” Think formal English.

ENGLISH FORMAT CONTINUED A single question can test several kinds of writing errors. 1/3 tests your ability to write concisely (economy questions) 1/3 tests for logic and sense (sense questions) 1/3 tests hard-and-fast rules of grammar (technicality questions) In many cases, the responses are either “yes” or “no”, with an explanation.

STRATEGY 1 DIRECTIONS Study and learn the directions in advance Gives you extra time to complete the test

STRATEGY 2 75 questions in five passages in 45 minutes 36 seconds per question or 9 minutes per passage Try not to spend more than 30 seconds per question

STRATEGY 3 WRITING STYLES Be aware of the writing style used in the passages. Understand context of the question. Consider how the underlined portion fits in with the surrounding sentences and the passage as a whole. Examine each answer choice and determine how it differs from the others.

STRATEGY 4 CONTEXT Usage/Mechanics questions: Underlined portions *Do NOT read the entire passage before going to the first question. Read the question, then read the sentence containing the underlined portion, and finally look over the answer choices. Answer all the questions that run down the right side of the page in this manner. Rhetorical Skills questions: Organization, style or how the passage could be improved by revision. *Before going on to the questions that asks you about the passage’s organization, stop and read the entire passage.

STRATEGY 5 UNDERLINED PORTION Read before and after the underlined portion. Move to the answer choices. Skip (A) or (F) (No change). Read the other three choices carefully. Cross out answers that create an error in sense or intended meaning, are inconsistent in style, or simply do not “work” with the rest of the passage. Remember, “NO CHANGE” might be the correct answer. If you find an error in the underlined portion but are unsure which answer choice makes the best improvement, guess and move on!

STRATEGY 6 PLUG IN Cross out answer choices that do not address the issue. Ask – What are you being tested on? Plug in the remaining answer choices. The best choice will be grammatically correct, concise, and make sense Read the answer choice in the sentence in place of the underlined portion; this way you can “hear” which is best. Don’t think too much about technical rules. The first thing is to get rid of unnecessary or irrelevant words.

STRATEGY 7 FIND THE BEST ANSWER Rhetorical skills questions require a general knowledge of the passage. Look for the main idea or theme. Immediately reject answers that go beyond the scope of the passage’s message. (cross it out) If you find yourself spending too much time on one question, eliminate as many choices as you can, guess, and move on.

STRATEGY 8 THE FOUR C’s If you can’t identify what a question is testing, apply the 4 C’s, and you’ll be able to answer even the most difficult questions. Complete: Good writing should be in complete sentences Consistent: Everything in the text should be consistent Clear: The meaning should be clear Concise: The best answer, free of any errors, will be the most concise.

TIPS Always read the options in context, pretending you are saying them out loud. Often, the mistake will become clear to you when you say it to yourself. Trust your eyes and ears. Improve your “ear” by reading good, informative prose under relaxed conditions, perhaps on a daily, limited basis. Some questions have OMIT the underlined portion option. Read the underlined passage without the underlined portion to ensure the passage is clear and correct when it is left out. (In past exams, when OMIT has appeared as an answer choice, it’s been correct more than half of the time.) Read all the answer choices carefully. Answers written in formal English are usually the best contenders for the “best” answer. Eliminate any answer choices that are written in informal English or contain incorrect grammar, punctuation, or usage. On recent ACTs, the shortest answer has been correct on about one-half of all English questions. Do not defend something if the passage could make sense without it. The ACT will never ask you to add any unnecessary details or descriptions.

TIPS (CONTINUED) If you can’t find a mistake in an underlined sentence, consider logic. A sentence may sound like English but actually have a logical inconsistency, which makes it not make sense. Pay close attention to all words near the underlined part. Be aware of questions with no underlined portions—that means you will be asked about a section of the passage or about the passage as a whole. When you approach each question ask: Does this belong here? Does this make sense? (Check logic) Does this sound like proper English? (Check grammar). Usually the word or phrase that contains an error will sound wrong. Make sure it makes sense When in doubt, take it out. Make sure that everything is written as concisely as possible. A good vocabulary and an awareness of not only the dictionary definitions of words but also the connotations (feelings and associations) suggested by those words will help you do well on the test. Avoid making new mistakes. Be observant, especially in questions where the responses have similar wording.

ECONOMY QUESTIONS The longer answer is not always the better choice. When in doubt, take it out. Redundancy: The text in a sentence should never repeat itself. In English, every single word and sentence should have a unique purpose. If the underlined portion is not absolutely necessary, it is probably redundant or irrelevant. Verbosity: Write concisely, as long as it is grammatically correct. Irrelevance: Omit complete ideas that are not directly related to the purpose of the passage.

SENSE QUESTIONS GOOD GRAMMAR MAKES GOOD SENSE (See handout) Completeness: Every sentence should consist of an entire thought. Sentence Structure: Avoid both fragments and run-ons. Modifiers: Modifiers should be as close as possible to the things they modify. Idiom: Make sure words in the sentence are used in the correct manner. Pronouns: Make it explicit to whom or to what the pronoun refers. Logic: Structural clues must be logical. Verb Usage: Make sure verbs match their subject and the tense of the surrounding context. Tone: The tone of the text should be kept consistent.

SUMMARY There are two types of questions on the ACT English test: Usage/Mechanics questions: Runs alongside the reading passage and asks you about the underlined portions of the test. Rhetorical Skills questions: Appears after the passage and tests you on the passage’s organization, style or how the passage could be improved by revision. Do NOT read the entire passage before going to the first question. Read the question, then read the sentence containing the underlined portion, and finally look over the answer choices. This helps you to work systematically and efficiently. Before going on to the questions that asks you about the passage’s organization, stop and read the entire passage.