English

Arrogant English
 Highfalutin,

stuck-up, no slang
When you knock on a friend’s door, you say, “It’s
me!”
 …On
the ACT you say, “It is I.”
English Breakdown

½ section focuses on rhetorical skills
 Writing

style and organization
½ section focuses on “English”
 Punctuation,

sentence structure, basic grammar
5 passages, 75 questions, 45 minutes
 Hustle
 About

1.5 minutes per question
You need to know how to use the right rules, not
what to call things.
English Breakdown: PLAN


50 Questions
30 minutes
 About
1.5 minutes per question
English: Target Scores
Target Score
# Correct
36
75
30
69-70
26
60-62
23
52-54
20
44-46
17
36-38
11
19-21
English

Pay at least a little attention to content


Skim
Some questions at the end of sections are readingcomprehension type questions
Purpose
 Possible Conclusions


Some questions are more doable than others
Box Questions are usually more difficult
 If running short on time, save them for last.

ACT GRAMMAR REVIEW
Verbs

A compound subject takes a plural verb.

A harp and a violin are beautiful.

Few, Both, Several, and Many are all plural

Each, Every, and Everybody are always singular
Verbs

The second subject in an either/or or neither/nor
construction determines whether the verb is singular
or plural.
 Neither
Kimberly nor her parents are on the cruise ship
 Neither her parents or Kimberly is able to afford cruise
tickets.
PRONOUNS
Pronouns

A pronoun must have the same number as the noun
it’s replacing
 Everybody
= Singular
 Everybody is on his (not their) best behavior.
Pronouns

A pronoun must have the same gender as the noun
it’s replacing
 The
ewe is slowly making her way home from the
pasture.
Pronouns


A pronoun must have clarity
You must be able to tell which noun the pronoun is
replacing
 Non-Example:
Matthew asked Franklin to pick up his
laundry off the floor.
 Matthew,
disgusted at seeing Franklin’s laundry on the
floor, picked it up.
What You Need to Know


A pronoun following any form of the verb be is going
to be in the subjective form.
It sounds weird, but is correct
It is I
 It was he
 It could be they
 It was she who…
 This is she
 It was they.

I, YOU, HE, SHE, IT, WE, THEY
SUBJECTIVE PRONOUNS
Diction

Who is a subject and does the action.
 Who

wants to study over the weekend?
Whom is an object and receives the action.
I
don’t know whom to ask to be my study buddy.
If you can substitute “HE” for the who/whom, then use WHO.
If you can substitute “HIM” for the who/whom, then use WHOM.
Adjective and Adverbs


Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns
An adverb typically modifies a verb and answers
the question “How?”
 May
end in –ly
Adjective and Adverbs

Place adjective and adverbs as close as possible to
the noun or pronoun it is modifying.
 Non-example:
Nancy and Frank left the neighborhood
they had lived in for 10 years reluctantly.
 Nancy and Frank reluctantly left the neighborhood they
had lived in for 10 years.
Parallelism

Objects in a series must be in similar form.
 Non-Example:
I like jogging, hiking, and to swim.
I
like jogging, hiking and swimming.
Comparisons


Use –er to compare 2 items
Use –est to compare 3 items
 He
is uglier that John. (2 items)
Diction




Affect means to influence or concern
Effect means to cause or result
A good ACT score will positively ________ you
chances of admission to college.
A good ACT score will have a positive _______ on
your chances for admission.
Diction

Between (note the tw) compares two things
I
can’t choose between the black dress and (not or) the
red dress!

Among compares more than two
I
go crazy when I have to choose among the eye
shadows at the Clinique counter!
Diction: good vs. well

Good is an adjective that modifies a noun.
 You’re

doing a good job learning grammar rules!
Well is an adverb that answers the question how.
 You
study very well.
Diction

To lie is to recline.
I

like to lie in my recliner after school.
To lay is to place.
 Lay
the book on the table.
A little extra!

Don’t place if and would in the same clause.
 If

I would have studied more…
Replace “would” with “had”…
 If
I had studied more…
 Had I studied more…
ACT English Practice



English Practice Handout
5 Questions: 5 minutes
http://www.actstudent.org/sampletest/english/eng
_01.html