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SAT Prep

Enhance your ACT English skills through comprehensive lessons on grammar and punctuation. Practice tests, group sessions, and expert tips included.

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SAT Prep

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  1. SAT Prep

  2. AGENDA • Learning Target: Today, I will demonstrate my understanding of basic literary elements through the completion of the multiple choice section of the ACT Practice Exam. • Test Correction [1+3] • Vocabulary 1-50 Study • ACT Essay Prompt [Due on 11/2 , to Turnitin.com by 11:59]

  3. Agenda – 11/12 + 11/14 Learning Target: Today, I will demonstrate my understanding of basic grammar through the completion of the ACT Grammar Practice Exam. • Group Practice • SAT vs. ACT Overview • ACT PowerPoint • Pair Review [Vocabulary]

  4. Structure of the exams SAT vs. Act

  5. Test Format

  6. Content Covered

  7. Test Style

  8. Scoring

  9. Score Choice

  10. Difficulty Levels

  11. Math Levels

  12. More Popular?

  13. When is it offered?

  14. Registration deadline

  15. More information

  16. ACT English Strategies for Success

  17. Usage and Mechanics Punctuation Grammar and usage Sentence structure Rhetorical Skills Writing strategy Organization Style English—One 45 minute section with 75 questions

  18. Part 1: Punctuation Usage and Mechanics

  19. Usage & Mechanics - Punctuation • Commas • Apostrophes • Semicolons • Colons • Parentheses and Dashes • Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points

  20. Punctuation - Commas • Commas separate Independent Clauses • Lesley wanted to sit outside, but it was raining. • Henry could tie the shoe himself, or he could ask Amanda to tie his shoe.

  21. Commas In a Series • A series contains three or more items separated by commas. The items can either be nouns (such as “dog”) or verb phrases (such as “get in the car”). • The hungry athlete devoured a piece of chicken, a pound of pasta, and a slice of chocolate cake.

  22. Commas Separate Adjectives • A comma separates adjectives only if they can be in reverse order and still make sense. • Rebecca’s new dog has long, silky hair.

  23. Commas Set Off Clauses and Phrases from a Complete Sentence • Commas set off clauses and phrases from a complete sentence • After preparing an elaborate meal for herself, Anne was too tired to eat. • Anne was too tired to eat after preparing an elaborate meal for herself.

  24. Commas Set Off Non-essential Elements • Non-essential elements embellish nouns without specifying them. • Everyone voted Carrie, who is the most popular girl in our class, prom queen. • The decrepit street sign, which had stood in our town since 1799, finally fell down.

  25. Commas: Essential Elements • Essential elements are not set off by commas because they are necessary to the meaning of the sentence. • The girl who is sick missed three days of school. • The dog that ate the rotten steak fell down and died.

  26. Commas: Appositives • An appositive is a phrase that renames or restates the modified noun, usually enhancing it with additional information. • Everyone voted Carrie, the most popular girl in school, prom queen. • The dog, a Yorkshire Terrier, barked at all the neighbors.

  27. Apostrophes • Apostrophes are the second most commonly tested punctuation mark on the English Test. • Apostrophes primarily indicate possession, but they are also used in contractions.

  28. Apostrophes: Possessive and Singular Nouns • A singular noun can be made possessive by adding an apostrophe followed by an “s”. • Simon’s teacher was in the room. • My mom forgot the dog’s food. • We removed the bottle’s label.

  29. Apostrophes: Possessive and Plural Nouns • Most plural nouns can be made possessive by adding only an apostrophe. • The boys’ teacher was in the room. • My mom forgot the dogs’ food. • We removed the bottles’ labels.

  30. Apostrophes: Plural Nouns • For plural nouns that do not end in “s”, you should treat the plural form as a singular noun. • The women’s locker room needs to be cleaned.

  31. Apostrophes: Possessive and Multiple Nouns • Sometimes you’ll want to indicate the possession of more than one noun. • The placement of the apostrophe depends on whether the possessors share the possession. • Nick and Nora’s dog solves crimes. • Dan’s and Joann’s socks are dirty.

  32. Apostrophes: Explanation • In the example of Nick and Nora, the dog belongs to both of them, so you treat “Nick and Nora” as a single unit. • In the second example, both Dan and Joann have dirty socks, but they don’t share the same dirty socks, so you treat Dan and Joann as separate units.

  33. Apostrophes: Wrong Word • The ACT will test on your ability to distinguish between “its” and “it’s.” • Other commonly tested issues: • “their/they’re/there” • “your/you’re” • “whose/who’s”

  34. Semicolons • You’ll usually find several questions dealing with semicolons on the English Test. • The main functions of a semicolon that you should know for the test are its ability to join related independent clauses and its use in a series.

  35. Semicolon: Independent Clauses • Semicolons are commonly used to separate two related but independent clauses. • Julie ate five brownies; Eileen ate seven. • Josh needed to buy peas; he ran to the market.

  36. Semicolon: Explanation • In the previous examples, the semicolon functions as a “weak period.” It suggests a short pause before moving to a less-related thought. • Generally, a period between these independent clauses would work just as well, so the ACT won’t offer you a choice between a semicolon and a period.

  37. Semicolons: Independent Clauses with a Transition • Frequently, you will see two independent clauses joined by a semicolon and a transitional adverb (such as however, consequently, furthermore, nevertheless, etc.) • Julie ate five brownies; however, Eileen ate seven. • Josh needed to buy peas; thus, he ran to the market.

  38. Semicolons: A Series • The semicolon replaces the comma as a structural backbone of a series if the items already contain commas. • The tennis tournament featured the surprise comeback player, Koch, who dropped out last year due to injuries; the up-and-coming star Popp, who dominated the junior tour; and the current favorite, Farrington, who won five of the last six tournaments.

  39. Colons • Colons are used after complete sentences to introduce related information that comes in the form of a list, an explanation, or a quotation. • When you see a colon, you should know to expect elaborating information.

  40. Colons: Examples • The wedding had all the elements to make it a classic: the elegant bride, the weeping mother, and the fainting bridesmaid. • The wedding had all the elements to make it a classic: the elegant bride beamed as her mother wept and as the bridesmaid fainted. • The mother’s exclamation best summed up the wedding: “If only the bridesmaids hadn’t fainted!”

  41. Colons: Problems • A colon should ALWAYS be preceded by an independent clause. • Wrong: • The ingredients I need to make a cake: flour, butter, sugar, and icing. • Right: • I need several ingredients to make a cake: flour, butter, sugar, and icing.

  42. Colons: Problems • There should never be more than one colon in a sentence. • Wrong: • He brought many items on the camping trip: a tent, a sleeping bag, a full cooking set, warm clothes, and several pairs of shoes: sneakers, boots, and sandals. • Right: • He brought many items on the camping trip: a tent, a sleeping bag, a full cooking set, warm clothes, sneakers, boots, and sandals.

  43. Other ACT Punctuation • The English test rarely test punctuation marks other than those already listed. • However, in the odd case that test writers do throw in some other punctuation errors, you should know what to expect. • The ACT officially states that it covers, in addition the previously mentioned punctuation, parentheses, dashes, periods, question marks, and exclamation points.

  44. Parentheses • Parentheses usually surround words or phrases that break a sentence’s train of thought but provide explanatory information for it. • The road trip (which was made in a convertible) lasted three weeks and spanned fourteen states.

  45. Parentheses • Similarly, parenthetical sentences can be inserted between other sentences, adding additional information to them without diverting their flow. • Their road trip lasted three weeks and spanned fourteen states. (The one they took two years ago lasted two weeks and covered ten states). When they got home, they were exhausted.

  46. Dashes • Dashes function similarly to parentheses. • Dashes indicate either an abrupt break in thought or an insertion of additional, explanatory information. • He walked so slowly – with his hurt leg he couldn’t go much faster – that even his neighbor’s toddler eventually overtook him. • I don’t have the heart to refuse a friend’s request for help – do you?

  47. Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points • These are the least common forms of punctuation tested. • The sentence ends here. • Does the sentence end here? • Hooray, the sentence ends here!

  48. Part 2: Basic Grammar and Usage Usage and Mechanics

  49. Basic Grammar and Usage • Subject-Verb Agreement • Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement • Pronoun Cases • Verb Tenses • Adverbs and Adjectives • Idioms • Comparative and Superlative Modifiers

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