LESSON A: 3-Step Method

LESSON A: 3-Step Method ACT English

SteP 1: Read efficiently *Pause at each underline portion *Identify the issue and then go to the question.

STEP 2: PREDICT & ELIMINATE Read the answer choices looking for the pattern Rule out choices that don’t address the issue

STEP 3: PLUG IN *Test your answer in the sentence *This step may be skipped when you’ve the first two steps and the answer seems quite obvious.

LESSON B: GRAMMAR QUESTIONS Word Choice, Verb Tense, and Idiom issues

Questions about word choice These questions ask you to find the right subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, or use of words in context.

Subject-Verb Agreement • The train whistle in the station. • The train whistles in the station.

Pronoun Agreement • The players and his or her coaches celebrated the end of the season at a banquet. • The players and their coaches celebrated the end of the season at a banquet.

Questions about Verb Tenses • At the zoo, Minh watched the otters. They are playing, swimming, and eating. • While the boy has been at school, his little sister colored on his desk. • At the zoo, Minh watched the otters. They were playing, swimming, and eating. • While the boy was at school, his little sister colored on his desk.

Questions About Idioms • Our senior economics seminar is much like a debating a club than a high-school class. • Everyone regarded him to be a genius. • Our senior economics seminar is more like a debating club than a high-school class. • Everyone regarded him as a genius.

Lesson C: Style Questions Conjunctions and Wordiness

Conjunctions • Conjunction questions will be asking you to choose a conjunction because one is missing or the one used does not fit the meaning of the whole sentence.

Examples • She is allergic to flowers, she always buys bouquets for presents. • She is allergic to flowers, yet she always buys bouquets for presents. • Liliana studied diligently, yet she wanted to become a physician. • Liliana studied diligently, because she wanted to become a physician.

Wordiness Questions • AC T-wordiness questions are asking you to choose the most concise way to express an idea. • There are different reasons a sentence could be too wordy: too many words; repetitive words’ or there are words (or whole sentences) that are irrelevant.

Examples • Regardless of the fact that it is two below zero, the mail has to be delivered. • Although it is two below zero, the mail still has to be delivered. • The baby fussed and cried and sobbed and made a lot of noise. • The baby cried loudly. • Tessa was quite happy to be at her grandparents’ again, and it was very cloudy. • * Omit underlined portion.

Unit 6 Lesson A: Sentence Sense Incomplete and run-on sentences Misplaced modifiers Passive voice

Incomplete and run-on sentences • Correct the sentence if: • It is punctuated as a sentence but it is not a complete thought. • It sounds like a compound sentence but it is not properly connected.

Fixing Incomplete Sentences • If it is an incomplete thought it is most likely missing a subject or a verb. • Look for the choice that joins it with another sentence so that it functions as a phrase. • Look for the choice that adds a subject or verb to make it complete (this is a less likely type of choice).

Fixing incomplete sentences • If there is a transitional word. It likely needs to be part of a neighboring sentence. (‘If’ makes the reader expectant of ‘what’ thought) These fixes often mean replacing the period with a comma.

Unit 6 Lesson B: Punctuation • Commas • Semicolons • Colons • Apostrophes • Dashes

Commas 1. Use commas correctly in a list: *I bought sticky notes, gel pens, a binder, and some stickers for my little brother. 2. Use a comma after an independent clause beginning with a conjunction (FANBOYS). * Helen wanted to go home, but Paris wouldn’t let her.

3. Use commas to set off an introductory phrase. * Taking one step at a time, the toddler worked to climb the stairs successfully. 4. Use commas to separate an appositive or a nonessential element. *The rules, as you well know, do not allow late admittance.

Semicolons and Colons 1. Use a semicolon to combine two independent clauses. The snow fell heavily during the night; by five o’clock the next morning, Peter was plowing the city streets. 2. Use a semicolon to separate items in a list when the items themselves contain commas. She served croissants, jam and honey in the morning; quiche and salad at lunch; and roast chicken, baked potatoes, and apple tart for dinner.

Semicolon with conjuctions • Every Sunday I love to go out for chocolate ice cream; however, since Murray’s closed it is not the same.

Colons 3. Use a colon to introduce or emphasize a short phrase, quotation, explanation, or example. *One animal in particular uses its distinctive white stripe as a way of standing out from its surroundings: the skunk. 4. Use a colon to introduce a list. *F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote several well-known novels: The Great Gatsby, This Side of Paradise, Tender is the Night, and The Beautiful and Damned.

Apostrophes 1. Use an apostrophe with a possessive noun. *Alda’s small dog, Frantic, amused everyone in the neighborhood. 2. Use an apostrophe to signal a contraction. *It’s never going to stop snowing!

Dashes 1. Use a dash to indicate hesitation or an interruption in the main thought. *Lou rushed down the street, bought the paper, raced toward the subway and –Oh, no!—his lunch was on the counter at home. 2. Use a dash to enclose explanations (where you could use parentheses). *Cross-stitching—a form of embroidery—seems very simple, but is quite difficult to master.

Unit 6 Lesson C: Writing Strategy and Organization • Organization questions ask you to find the most logical order. • Expect to see 2 on the test. • Writing Strategy questions represent about 1/6 of the test. • Expect to see 12 on the test.

Writing Strategy • Ask yourself: What does the author want me to know? Does this sentence in question fit with the main idea? • If you are asked to insert a sentence, find the choice that is consistent with the author’s main idea and tone.

LESSON A: 3-Step Method