Name_______________________
Period___________
ACT PRACTICE
Subject-Verb Agreement: Underline the correct answer.
1. Some of us (is/are) studying for the test.
2. The Board of Trustees (is/are) making a decision about tuition increases this Wednesday
3. The committee (is/are) arriving in Chicago at different times.
4. There (is/are) several options available to the opera buff in Chicago.
5. A large shipment of automotive parts (has/have) been delayed.
6. Peanuts (is/are) high in cholesterol.
7. Neither the mechanics nor the shop manager (was/were) able to solve the problem.
8. Hospital expense, as well as doctor’s, (is/are) skyrocketing.
9. The cat and the dog (is/are) getting a flea bath today.
10. Few of us (realize/realizes) how much work went into the senior prom.
Tense: Some verbs are in the wrong tense. Cross them and out and correct them.
1. Within five minutes, the fireman had climbed the ladder, plowed his way through mountains of debris,
and did the impossible by putting out the fire.
2. The play was completely stage by July and began in early August.
3. She was very weary and simply wanted to lay down until dinner.
4. The price of football tickets had rose dramatically since 1974.
5. The New Zealand crew had lost a man overboard and tore the spinnaker.
6. He had driven his bike to the trailhead, run to the lake, and swam to the base camp.
7. When we were down at the lake on weekends, we use to sit on the sand and watch the girls
8. After my mother removed the sheets from the washer, my sister hanged them on the line.
Sentence Problems: Rewrite these sentences to fix problems with run-ons, fragments, and comma splices.
1. By nightfall we had gone 30 miles we were exhausted.
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2. Was it possible for us to ride from Anchorage to Homer, could we accomplish our goal of biking the 215mile Kenai Peninsula in just one day?
3.
Marisa lets her mind wander about scary things that is why she probably thought that someone was downstairs.
4. The witness was unwilling to testify. Because he was afraid of the accused man.
5. I like Josh, however I don’t think Stacy’s parents like him.
6. Although the air was warm, the water was too cold for swimming.
7. Housing is scarce in New York City, apartments are hard to find and very expensive.
8. I prefer not to go; however, I will give you the money so that you can go if you want to.
9. I decided to give water skiing a try. After I saw everybody else do it.
10. Amy and her friends filled John’s room with balloons they put oreo cookies all over both sides of the door.
Commas: Add commas where needed.
1. Marlow hates being outside but he insists on gardening in his backyard every afternoon.
2. I like to go to the zoo; however some of the smells make me sick.
3. Although I really didn’t have the money to spare I bought a ticket for the concert anyway.
4. Yuri loves to watch good dancing; therefore he goes to every dance performance that he can.
5. I made my way through the tangled overgrown garden.
6. David is not going with us to the foreign film festival because he has 150 pages of reading and 15 pages of
writing to do.
7. Lester is a talented energetic and entertaining performer.
8. Sally will you drop me off at the airport tomorrow?
9. The farming industry which has diminished over the last few years is an honorable profession.
10. The food that my brother eats is far too spicy for me.
Colons/Semicolons: Add comas and semicolons where needed.
1. Some reasons to go to the Writing Center are to improve your writing, to meet the cool tutors, and to
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participate in the new creative writing group.
2. This song is amazing it has a great beat.
3. There are a few signs that will let you know when Kristen is tired of talking to you the heavy sigh, the eye
roll, and the quiet humming that gets progressively louder.
4. There are many producers of high-quality crystal all over the world however, few are more recognized
than the factory in Waterford, Ireland.
5. Bart told his girlfriend he needed to sweep the floor, scrub the cupboards, and do the dishes before he
could go to the arcade with her.
6. Heide claims that she’s come down with a flu virus therefore, she won’t be coming to class tomorrow.
7. When Julia prepares for a road trip, she will want to make sure she brings certain necessities like baby
wipes, a cooler full of sandwiches, and her Bill Cosby tape.
8. Jordan wanted to know three things before he would agree to go on the hike how far would they hike,
how many days would it take, and who was going to drive them all there.
9. George Washington Carver invented 325 uses for peanuts many people said he was a visionary man.
10. I do the grocery shopping she cooks the meals.
Pronoun Reference and Agreement: Rewrite these sentences so the pronoun and reference agree.
1. George shouted at Tom as he was leaving the building.
2. If you constantly criticize a roommate it will only make them angry.
Apostrophes: Place apostrophes where appropriate in the following sentences.
1. Teds parents are so rich; they have seven TVs and four VCRs.
2. Tyler Donovan and Dan Beckhams new album includes everyones favorite hillbilly songs.
3. Susan explained her financial philosophy: “Whats mine is mine, and whats yours is mine, too.”
4. Its too early to know if the cat will take care of its paws well enough for them to heal.
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Place capital or lower case letters in the following sentences as needed. Put a slash ( / ) through any capital
letters that need to be lower case, and underline with three lines ( = ) any lower case letters that need to be
capitalized.
1. I am currently a freshman majoring in Biology—hoping to graduate in the Spring, four years from now,
and continue on to Graduate School.
2. On tuesday I’m leaving for the northwest to climb Mt. Rainier with the President of the corporation.
3. My Mother, a Professor of English, and my sister, a Professor of Linguistics, got into an argument about
the English Language while traveling North on the highway.
Indicate whether the following sentences are using quotation marks, punctuation and mechanics correctly by
placing a Yes or No in the blank. If you use a No correct the error(s).
____1. “Don’t be such an idiot, Margo”, Fred scolded, “That moth isn’t going to kill you.”
____2. Abraham Lincoln said, “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth
of freedom…” He ended by promising that this freedom “shall not
perish from the earth” (57)
____3. William Hazlitt declared “We talk little if we do not talk about ourselves.” (qtd. in Hood 28)
Punctuation Practice: At each marked point in the following sentences, place the punctuation mark that most
aptly conveys the meaning the structures imply: comma, period, semicolon, dash, colon, question mark,
exclamation point, parentheses, brackets, ellipses, or nothing.
1. The principal cut the interview very short____indeed____he was in no mood to discuss the issues.
2. Many of them have closed minds____they assume that they are right and that everyone else is wrong.
3. Professional basketball players have a hard time concealing themselves____wherever they go.
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4. Although I was extremely tired and ready to collapse____I stayed up and finished my research paper.
5. I stayed up and finished my research paper____although I was extremely tired and ready to collapse.
6. Max wanted to know three things about his date before he agreed to be set up____the shape of her
nose____ the size of her ears___and the color of her hair.
7. Brook and Brock are twins____yet they don’t look anything alike.
8. We have friends in Paris____Idaho____Paris____France____Peru____Indiana____and Lima____Peru.
a. (Paris is a town in Idaho and a city in France: Peru is a town in Indiana, and Lima is a city in Peru.)
9. The pitcher was called into the game with one out and runners on second and third____not an easy
assignment.
10. McDonald’s hamburger shops____Americans have a passion for hamburgers____are popular in Japan.
11. When Mark asked Becky to go to Homecoming she said____ “I’d love to go____but my sister is getting
married that weekend and I’ll be out of town____”____
12. “The students at that university ____Berkley____were extremely volatile during the 1960s.”
13. Emphysema____cancer caused by smoke inhalation____is a leading cause of death in the United States.
14. Dale would like to eat doughnuts every day____but the doctor told him he needs to lose some weight.
15. The vacation was fun____however____I got sick on the boat ride .
16. The music____that my roommate listens to____is much too heavy for my taste.
17. Mark and Debbie went camping for their vacation____Kerrie and Justin went on a cruise.
18. She walked out the door____sauntered down the driveway___and waited for the bus to come.
19. The minister shocked the crowd with his introductory comment____“Are you prepared to die____”
20. Some of my favorite desserts are___brownies, ice cream, and apple pie.
21. I climbed up the steep____twisting staircase as I made my way to the dean’s office.
22. Church bells rang____sirens blew____people danced in the streets.
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Modifiers: Rewrite these sentences so correct modifiers are used.
1. The corn was roasted by the boys skewered on the ends of long, pointed sticks.
2. It was still pouring, so Uncle Maurice went out to the sty to feed the hogs with an umbrella.
3. Coming nearer to it, the building certainly seemed dilapidated.
4. Henry’s sales record will be as good as any of the top salespeople.
5. Coiled in a corner of the garage and ready to spring, Mrs. Lampert was surprised by a rattlesnake.
6. To be well baked, you have to leave the pork roast in the oven for three hours.
7. He saw the impressive Concorde on the porch this morning.
8. The model was described as a tall brunette with large green eyes weighing approximately 110 pounds.
9. Though uncommonly white, the dentist cleaned and polished Jessica’s teeth at her request.
Parallel Structure: Rewrite these sentences to create a parallel structure.
1. William Faulkner wrote As I Lay Dying, The Sound and the Fury, Sartoris and he was also the author of The
Reivers.
2. Cluster secretaries answer calls about special programs, file important papers, sort mail, and they do
typing and stuffing envelopes.
3. He bought a new scooter with an electric starter, and which has dual pipes and a digital clock.
4. Playing racquetball is more taxing than to jog or play basketball.
5. The pool is eighteen feet in length and twelve feet wide.
6. Most citizens felt gas rationing to be a necessity and fair.
7. I enjoy watching movies, reading books, and to study birds.
8. Most people desire love, freedom, and want to be recognized.
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