The
ACT
English
Test
5
Passages
75 Questions
45 Minutes
9 Minutes Per Passage
Usage and Mechanics
•Basic Grammar & Usage (16%)
•Sentence Structure (24%)
•Punctuation (13%)
Rhetorical
Skills
•Strategy (16%)
•Organization (15%)
•Style (16%)
Directions
In the following five passages, certain words and phrases
have been underlined and numbered. You will find
alternatives for each underlined portion in the right-hand
column. Select the one that best expresses the idea, that
makes the statement acceptable in standard written English,
or that is phrased most consistently with the style and tone
of the entire passage.
SUGGESTED
APPROACH
1. Set your watch to 11:15.
2. Do NOT read the directions!
3. Scan each passage before you start
to read.
• TOPIC • STYLE• TONE • ORGANIZATION
4. Read the ENTIRE passage.
5. Answer the questions as you come to
6. them.
Circle answers in test booklet first!
7. Look for the most common errors.
Most Common Errors Tested
on the ACT English
Singulars and Plurals (especially the word they)
Pronoun Usage
(I or me, he or him, etc…)
Apostrophe Use
(its or it’s) (whose or who’s)
Proper Word Usage (there, their, they’re)
(are, our)
Parenthetical Phrases and Punctuation
Idiomatic Preposition Use (in, of, on, to, for)
Unidiomatic Verb Use
(-ing endings)
Pronoun Usage
Subject Case
I
He She We They
Who Whoever
Object Case
Me Him Her Us
Whom
Them
Whomever
Singulars and Plurals
MOST common error in this area?
The use of THEY
When a friend borrows my car, I usually
ask them to fill it with gas before they
return it.
When a friend borrows my car, I usually ask
them to fill it with gas before they return it.
When friends borrow my car, I usually
ask them to fill it with gas before they
return it.
Subject or Object Case Pronoun?
STRATEGY: Leave out part of the
sentence.
Example:
If you have any questions about
grammar usage, ask your English
teacher or (I / me) to help you.
Read it again WITHOUT the words “your
English teacher or”
Rephrased:
If you have any questions about
grammar usage, ask (I /me) to
help you.
WHO or WHOM?
How do you decide?
STRATEGY: Use the Him/He
Test
1)
Re-order the part of the sentence containing who or
whom.
2)
Rephrase with he or him.
Where him is the proper choice, then whom
would also be correct.
Sample Problem
I wonder who/whom he
bribed to get this position.
To get this position, he bribed him.
Correct Choice: Whom
Sample Problem
Whoever/Whomever the drama
teacher liked received a part in the
play.
The drama teacher liked
him.
Correct Choice: Whomever
Caution with the Him/He Test
Use the subject case if the pronoun
1)
precedes a verb AND
2) is the subject of that verb.
Sample Problem
The police gave tickets to whoever/whomever had parked in
front of the fire hydrant.
1) Is the pronoun followed by a verb?
Yes
2) Does that pronoun appear to be the
subject of that verb? (Did“whoever”
Yes
actually do the parking?)
Its vs. It's
 Incorrect: "Its mine."
 Correct: "It's mine."
 Its is possessive.
 It's is a contraction of it is. Whenever you see that
apostrophe, always translate it's to it is.
 The ACT will regularly include Its’ as an answer
choice. This is NEVER correct.
It’s or Its?
Whose or Who’s?
The apostrophe takes the place of a letter.
It’s = It is
Who’s = Who is
STRATEGY:
•Slow down when you come to
these.
•Read the sentence as “It is” or
“Who is” to be SURE you’ve chosen
the correct answer.
Sample Problem
Who’s / Whose Line Is It Anyway is a funny television show.
Its /It’s on the comedy channel.
1. Who is Line Is It Anyway…
OR
2. Whose Line Is It Anyway…
Sample Problem
Who’s / Whose Line Is It Anyway is a funny television show.
Its /It’s on the comedy channel.
1. It is on the comedy channel
OR
2. Its on the comedy channel
Our & Are
For questions involving proper word usage—
SLOW DOWN and READ CAREFULLY!!!!!
Our = possession
Helpful Tip:
Are = Verb
Our is spelled like your.
There vs. They're vs. Their
 People get these mixed up all the time. Let's look at these words in
their correct form:
 "The book is over there."
 "That's their book."
 "They're getting the book."
 Remember, their is possessive. You're talking about who owns what.
 They're is a contraction. If the sentence sounds fine when you
reword it with they are, you know you're using the right pronoun.
 There refers to where someone or something is.
There, their, and they’re
There = Location
There contains the word here.
Their = Possession.
They’re = They are
Substitute “They are” in the sentence and see if it makes
sense.
ESSENTIAL
PHRASES
EXAMPLE: We watched the
award-winning movie "The
Departed.”
 Why no commas? Lots of movies win awards.
Essential means it has
to be there. Without
the information, the
sentence is unclear.
The essential
information CANNOT
be eliminated for the
sentence to hold the
main idea.
THE RULE
Do NOT surround
essentials with
punctuation.
EXAMPLE: We had four
hamburgers. The hamburger that
was on the table is missing.
 Everything in the second sentence is
"essential.” Use "that" and no commas.
 One more time…
Do not set off the essential (important) clauses
or phrases with any punctuation.
Nonessential
Phrases
These are phrases
and clauses that
provide EXTRA
information that is
NOT necessary to
the meaning of the
sentence.
They can be
eliminated and the
sentence still holds
the main idea.
THE RULE:
Use commas, dashes
or parentheses to
set off
nonessentials.
REMEMBER: Use parentheses, commas or dashes to
surround nonessentials. If they begin a sentence, use
a comma after the nonessential word or phrase.
Example: My uncle, who is eighty years old,
walks three miles every day.
Example: We had one hamburger. The
hamburger, which was on the table, is
missing.
(There was only one hamburger, so you don’t
have to tell which one was missing.)
One more time…
Use punctuation, like commas, to set off a
nonessential clause. Start such clauses with
which.
LET’S REVIEW
 If you can leave out the clause and still understand
the sentence…
 It is nonessential; you use a "which" clause and
surround it with commas.
 Otherwise, use a "that" clause (without a comma).
Parenthetical Phrases
Definition: Phrases which could be
removed and the sentence would still be
complete.
Bob, on his way to the store, saw a
lizard.
Bob saw a lizard.
RULE: Parenthetical phrases must begin AND
end with the same punctuation mark.
Punctuation – Sample Problem
On the day of the test, his over-protective mother
packed him an ACT survival kit. Ten sharpened
pencils, a pencil sharpener, a calculator, a pack of
batteries, three different-weight sweaters, four
pieces of fruit, a liter of spring water and a box
of tissues.
A. NO CHANGE
B. kit, ten
C. kit; ten
D. kit: ten
D.
IDIOMS
What are they?
Some common examples…
 This expression just
 * Incorrect: She prefers
refers to commonly
accepted usage of a
word or phrase.
 ACT tests your ability
to recognize idiomatic
prepositional phrases.
skiing over snowboarding.

* Correct She prefers
skiing to snowboarding.

* Incorrect I don’t have a
favorable opinion toward
Beethoven’s music.

* Correct I don’t have a
favorable opinion of
Beethoven’s music.
Idiomatic Preposition Use
Certain phrases require the use of particular prepositions.
STRATEGY: Trust your ear.
Is that what most people say?
“I will pick you up tonight at quarter of six.”
“I will pick you up tonight at quarter to six.”
More Idiomatic Prepositions
She tried to instill on me a respect to the
law.
She tried to instill in me a respect of the
law.
I want to protect you in all dangers.
I want to protect you from all dangers.
Unidiomatic Verb Use
(-ing endings)
RULE: -ing endings are used to
indicate repeated or continuous action
and should NOT be used for a single
action that occurs once.
Example:
When I left for the store, I was forgetting my list.
Correction:
When I left for the store, I forgot my list.
OMIT the Material When…
• It is unnecessary
• It is repetitious, or
• It is wordy
Correct more than half of the time.
When in doubt, take it out!
Example of Wordiness
As I previously mentioned to you when
explaining at last week’s meeting the incredible
and undisputed advantages of combining our two
clubs, The Poetry Society and the Poets Outside, I
have written up here for your further study my
thoughts on the matter, detailing the many
benefits that will accrue to both organizations.
At last week’s meeting, I said there were
benefits to combining our two clubs. Here’s a
note repeating why.
Spielberg’s Amistad is the filmmaker’s second attempt
to show that someone who is an unexcelled creator of
funny, fast-paced action movies can also be a producer
of films that try to deal in a serious fashion with
weighty historical and moral themes. (42 words)
Spielberg’s Amistad is the filmmaker’s second attempt
at dealing in a serious fashion with weighty historical
and moral themes. (19 words)
Spielberg’s Amistad is the filmmaker’s second attempt
to show that an unexcelled creator of funny, fast-paced
action movies can also produce films dealing seriously
with weighty historical and moral themes. (30 words)
The remarkable growth in increased attendance currently being
enjoyed by such formerly moribund sports franchises as baseball’s
Cleveland Indians shows that building a new stadium can have a
powerful effect on the popularity of a team.
A. NO CHANGE
B. The growth in attendance remarkably being enjoyed currently
C. The remarkable growth in attendance currently enjoyed
D. The remarkable attendance boom currently enjoyed
C.
Later, Pike fell while valiantly defending America in the War
of 1812. It goes without saying that this took place after he
discovered Pike’s Peak. He actually died near York (now
called Toronto)…
F. NO CHANGE
I.
G. Clearly, this must have occurred subsequent
to his discovering Pike’s Peak.
H. This was after he found Pike’s Peak.
I. OMIT the underlined portion.
[1] The immigration laws led, ultimately, to a quota system based on the number
of individuals of each national origin reported in the 1890 census. [2] The
United States, which was founded mainly by people who had emigrated from
northern Europe, had an essentially open-door immigration policy for the first
100 years of existence. [3] But starting in the 1880s and continuing through the
1920s, Congress passed a series of restrictive immigration laws. [4] The door to
freedom hadn’t been slammed shut, exactly, but was now open only to the
“right” sort of people.
Which of the following sequences of sentences will make this paragraph most logical?
A.
C.
4,3,1,2
1,3,2,4
B. 2,3,1,4
D. 2,3,4,1
School Paper Editorial
The first reason why the Denville school district should
not be combined with the Jackson school district is the
fact that the schools have been sports rivals for too long.
1
Trying to unite the schools after so many years of
competition would inevitably lead to friction. [2]
1. A. NO CHANGE
B. because of the fact that
C. about
D. that
D.
The first reason why the Denville school district should
not be combined with the Jackson school district is the
fact that the schools have been sports rivals for too
long. Trying to unite the schools after so many years of
competition would inevitably lead to friction. [2]
2. Is the author’s introductory paragraph effective?
A. Yes, because it gets immediately to the problem
B.
B. No, because an introduction should outline the whole
subject.
C. No, because it doesn’t say how many other reasons there
will be.
D. Yes, because sports is the number one interest of most
students.
Important Points
• 1/3 of English items concern
redundancy, verbosity, and relevance.
• NEVER let the passage repeat itself.
• Stay true to the author’s tone.
• Don’t try to “correct” EVERY sentence.
• Trust your ear.
CAUTION!
• Don’t Add a New Mistake
• Avoid Changing the Meaning When Editing
Grammar Review
Among those who played a crucial role in the Northern victory
at Gettysburg were Joshua Chamberlain, a Union colonel from
Maine who later enjoyed a distinguished career as an educator
and politician.
Among those who played a crucial role in the Northern
victory at Gettysburg was Joshua Chamberlain, a Union
colonel from Maine who later enjoyed a distinguished career
as an educator and politician.
Dismayed by the news that a top executive
had suddenly accepted a job with a
competitor, the price of the company’s
stock fell sharply the next day.
Problem: Dangling Modifier
Possible correction:
Stockholders were dismayed…,and the
price…
A fabled center of monastic life during the
Middle Ages, each summer thousands of
visitors travel to the island of Iona near the
coast of Ireland.
Problem: Misplaced Modifier
Suggestion:
Move “A fabled center of monastic life
during the Middle Ages” after the
phrase “the island of Iona”.
In the 90s, albums by Pearl Jam
appeared consistent on the charts
even without the exposure of
music videos.
In the 90s, albums by Pearl Jam
appeared consistently on the charts
even without the exposure of
music videos.
Although the hospital administrators interviewed many staff members about the repeated
cases of staph infections they had no explanation for the puzzling pattern of outbreaks.
WHO had no explanation?
The staff?
The administrators?
Possible Correction: Although the hospital administrators interviewed many staff
members about the repeated cases of staph infections the staff had no explanation for
the puzzling pattern of outbreaks.
Each member of the tour group should
have their tickets by the end of the week.
Problem: pronoun usage
Each member of the tour group should have
his or her tickets by the end of the week.
OR
All members of the tour group should
have their tickets by the end of the week.
Representatives to the student senate were
asked to pursue often contradictory goals:
boosting student acceptance of more
homework, developing explanations for
adding two hours to the length of each
school day, and the reduction of rampant
poor morale.
Problem: Parallelism
Representatives to the student senate were
asked to pursue often contradictory goals:
boosting student acceptance of more
homework, developing explanations for
adding two hours to the length of each
school day, and the reduction of rampant
poor morale.
“…reducing rampant poor morale.”
In the Olympics the first place
winner gets a gold medal, second
place, a silver medal, and third
place, a bronze medal.
In the Olympics the first place
winner gets a gold medal; second
place, a silver medal; and third
place, a bronze medal.
Princess Diana, for who the
song Candle in the Wind was
written died tragically in an
automobile accident.
Princess Diana, for whom the song
Candle in the Wind was written, died
tragically in an automobile accident.
The children had been playing in the
park, they were covered in mud.
A.
The children had been playing in the park. They were covered in
mud.
B.
The children had been playing in the park, and they were
covered in mud.
C.
The children had been playing in the park; they were
covered in mud.
Commonly Misused Words
“INCONCEIVABLE!
YOU KEEP USING THAT WORD. I DO
NOT THINK IT MEANS WHAT YOU
THINK IT MEANS.” ~INIGO MONTOYA, THE
PRINCESS BRIDE
Accept vs. Except
 Incorrect: "I except your gift."
 Correct: "I accept your gift."
 Accept means to receive something. Except means to
exclude something.
 Example: "I accept everything you're offering, except
for the fruitcake."
Advice vs. Advise
 Incorrect: "I didn't ask for your advise."
 Correct: "I didn't ask for your advice."
 Advise is a verb.
 Advice is a noun.
 You can advise someone, but you can't advice him.
Affect vs. Effect
 Incorrect: "The rain has a bad affect on my mood."
 Correct: "The rain has a bad effect on my mood."
 The one that starts with an a, affect, is a verb. This is when
something is ACTING upon something else. For example, "We
don't know how the rising cost of pizza will affect the
economy."
 Effect is a noun. It's passive, not doing anything in particular;
it's just there. For example, "The rising cost of pizza didn't
have much effect."
 Tip for remembering the difference: A is for Action! Action =
Affect.
All Right vs. Alright and A lot vs. Alot
 Sorry, but alright is incorrect.
 It's correctly spelled as two words: All right.
 A lot is correct. (also two words)
 Alot, on the other hand, is NOT a real word.
Cite vs. Sight vs. Site
 Incorrect: "You're a site for sore eyes."
 Correct: "You're a sight for sore eyes."
 Sight refers to either your vision or to something you see. For
example, seeing the sights around town.
 Site refers to a physical location, such as a house or a
neighborhood. There are construction sites, for examples.
 Cite means to quote something, usually something of
authority. Citing can also be a case of mentioning supporting
facts. Christians, for example, frequently cite the Bible as the
foundation for their beliefs.
Compliment vs. Complement
 Incorrect: "I complemented her on her good cooking."
 Correct: "I complimented her on her good cooking."
 When you pay someone a compliment, you are
expressing admiration for something. You are
complimenting someone when you tell him he gave a
great speech, or when you tell him you like his Mickey
Mouse watch.
 However, a complement is something that enhances or
completes something else. A nice tie complements a suit.
A dessert of pumpkin pie complements a great turkey
dinner.
Dessert vs. Desert
 Incorrect: "We had chocolate cake for desert."
 Correct: "We had chocolate cake for dessert."
 Dessert refers to the scrumptious pies, cakes, and ice
cream we get to eat if we finish dinner.
 A desert is a dry, barren, often hot and sandy place.
 It's easy to get the two mixed up, so here's a way to
remember the difference:.
 STRESSED backwards spells DESSERTS.
Lay vs. Lie
 Incorrect: "Now lie me down to sleep."
 Correct: "Now lay me down to sleep."
 Lay is used when something is being acted upon. Lie is something
you do without anyone or anything doing something to you.
Example: "I decided to lie down on the floor."
 Here's where things get more confusing: The past tense of lie is lay.
The past tense of lay is laid. Examples:
 "I laid down the piggy bank."
 "The piggy bank lay there yesterday."
 Even I have a hard time keeping these words straight. Mixing up lay
and laid isn't likely to get you barbecued by grouchy grammarians.
Then vs. Than
 Incorrect: "I thought you knew better then that."
 Correct: "I thought you knew better than that."
 People get these mixed up all the time. These words should
not be used interchangeably. Here's the difference:
 Then refers to a point in time, usually after something has
happened or some condition is met. "First we mix the flour
and sugar, then we add the butter."
 Than is used for comparing things, such as length, height,
weight, etc. "I think this dog weighs more than me."
Your, You’re
 Your is a possessive pronoun.
 Example: Sunscreen protects your skin from sun
damage.
 You’re is a contraction of “you are.”
 Example: When you’re at the beach, always
remember to wear sunscreen.
Beside, Besides
 Beside means alongside or at the side of; besides
means in addition to.
 Examples:
He walked to class beside his friend.

Besides walking to class, the friends often ate
lunch together.

Good, Well
 Good is an adjective that means something is as it should
be or is better than average. When used as an adjective,
well means suitable, proper or healthy. When used as an
adverb, well means in a satisfactory manner or skillfully.
 Examples:


The bread smells good. The trumpet sounds good.
The computer works well. She did well on her exams.
Imply, Infer
 Imply means to suggest indirectly (you’re sending a
subtle message).
 To infer is to come to a conclusion based on
information (you’re interpreting a message).
Insure, Ensure
 Insure is correct only when you call up Geico or State
Farm for coverage.
 Ensure means to guarantee, and that’s most often
what you’re trying to say, right?
Irregardless
 Irregardless is not a word. Use regardless or
irrespective.
 Towards is wrong in American English. Use toward.
 Afterwards is wrong in American English. It’s
afterward.
Whether, If
 Whether should be used when listing alternatives.
 Example: Traci could not decide whether to order
the fish or the chicken.
 If should be used when referring to a future
possibility.
 Example: If Traci orders the fish, she will be served
more quickly.
Number, Amount
 Number is used when the items can be counted.
 Example: The number of students enrolled at Valley
College has increased during the last five years.
 Amount denotes quantity.
 Example: A small amount of rain has fallen so far
this year.
Like, Such as
 Like indicates similarity.
 Example: Kate and Allie were very close, like two
peas in a pod.
 Such as indicates an example or examples.
 Example: Composers such as Mozart and Bach are
among my favorites.
Fewer, Less
 Use fewer with objects that can be counted one-by-one.
 Example: Trish received all the credit, even though
she worked fewer hours on the project than did the
other members of the group.
 Use less with qualities or quantities that cannot be
individually counted.
 Example: I drank less water than she did.
Farther, Further
 Farther refers to distance.
 Example: At baseball camp, Jack learned that with the correct
stance and technique, he could throw the ball farther this year than
he could last year.
 Further indicates “additional degree, time, or quantity.” It can also
be used as a verb.
 Example: I enjoyed the book to a certain degree, but I felt that the
author should have provided further details about the characters.
 Example: Kim furthered her education by taking summer classes.
Compare to, Compare with
 Compare to means “assert a likeness.”
 Example: The only way to describe her eyes is to compare
them to the color of the sky.
 Compare with means “analyze for similarities and
differences.”
 Example: For her final project, Susan had to compare
bike riding with other aerobic activities and report her
findings.
Among, Between
 Among is used with more than two items.
 Example: Jackie’s performance last night was the
best among all the actors in the play.
 Between is usually used with two items.
 Example: Simon could not decide between the two
puppies at the pound, so he adopted them both.
Sit, Set
 Set is a transitive verb meaning to put or to place. Its
principal parts are set, set, set.
 Sit is an intransitive verb meaning to be seated. Its
principal parts are sit, sat, sat.
 She set the dough in a warm corner of the kitchen.
 The cat sat in the warmest part of the room.
Principle, Principal
 Principal when used as a noun means the top dog;
 as an adjective, it means the most important of any
set.
 Principle is a noun meaning a fundamental truth, a
law, a rule that always applies, or a code of conduct.
Could of vs. Could have
 Could of vs. could have (contraction: could've)
There is no such phrase as could of; you should never use it.
(The same is true of should of.)

Correct Usage :
 Jim could have earned a higher score if he had concentrated more.
 Susie could've graduated with honors if she hadn't been so involved
in extracurricular events.
Incorrect Usage

We could of been conference champions in football if our star
quarterback hadn't broken his arm.
Precede, Proceed
 The verb precede means to come before.
 Proceed means to move forward.
 "He preceded me into the room; once I caught up
with him I proceeded to tell him off."
Passed, Past
 Passed is the past tense and past participle of pass.
 Past refers to time gone by; it is also a preposition
meaning beyond. "In the past decade, I passed over
countless opportunities; I was determined not to let
them get past me again."