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- – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE –
9. The writer introduces the passage with “Pow! Bam! Zap!” This is most likely done to:
a. set a light-hearted, silly tone for the essay.
b. demonstrate the effect of onomatopoeia and exclamation points.
c. establish a connection to the topic of a comic book hero.
d. show that in Batman episodes, there was typically a lot of fighting.
10. The author wishes to add the following sentence in order to show why people like Batman and provide
readers with more information about the plot of a typical Batman episode:
People loved seeing Batman rush in and save the day whenever a villain threatened Gotham
City.
In order to accomplish this goal, it would be most logical and appropriate to place this sentence:
f. at the end of paragraph 2.
g. after the first sentence in paragraph 3.
h. after the second sentence in paragraph 3.
j. at the end of paragraph 3.
P retest Answers and Explanations
1. b. The phrase created in 1939 is relevant but not essential information and should be set off by
commas.
2. h. The phrase who was just 22 years old must be connected to an independent clause; it is not a com-
plete sentence. A period here makes the sentence a fragment. Semicolons can only go between two
independent clauses (two complete thoughts).
3. a. Bat and like work together to form one modifier, so they should be connected by a hyphen. This is
also the most concise choice.
4. j. Overwhelming is a more powerful and precise word than big. This version is also more concise than
versions g and h.
5. b. This version gives the sentence parallel structure and is the most logical word order.
6. j. This answer gives the sentence consistent verb tense (all verbs in the simple past tense).
7. a. This is the most appropriate transition.
8. g. This version gives the sentence parallel structure and consistent verb tense.
9. c. The introduction uses a comic book convention to make a connection between topic and structure.
The tone is light-hearted, but not silly. The introduction does demonstrate the effect of onomatopoeia
and exclamation points, but it has a more meaningful purpose. It is not intended to show that there is
a lot of fighting in a typical Batman episode, as this is not a theme of the essay.
10. g. In this spot the sentence follows the general statement that Batman was a success; since the sentence
provides a reason why the show was successful, this is a logical place to insert it.
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L essons and Practice Questions
As we noted in the overview, there are two main types of multiple-choice questions on the ACT English Test:
questions about usage and mechanics, and questions about rhetorical skills. While the exam tests your knowl-
edge of grammar and rhetoric, the test is not about reciting grammar rules or writing techniques. You won’t
be asked to correct any misspelled words or name five ways to introduce an essay. But you will be asked to
identify the correct use of words and punctuation and to evaluate or employ writing strategies in context. That
is, you will apply your knowledge of grammar and rhetoric to written passages, correcting errors within sen-
tences and choosing rhetorical techniques to make passages more effective. So while you don’t need to be able
to recite grammar rules, you do need to know how to apply those rules to write grammatically correct sen-
tences. You also need to know some basic strategies for effective writing. That’s what we will review in this
chapter.
CONTENT AREA SPECIFIC SKILLS TESTED SCORING PERCENTAGE
Usage and Mechanics Sentence structure 24%
Punctuation 13%
Grammar and usage 16%
Rhetorical Skills General writing strategies 16%
Organizational techniques 15%
Style 16%
The passages on the ACT English Test cover general-interest topics such as the life of a famous person
or the history of an interesting invention. They are typically four to five short paragraphs in length. As you
saw in the pretest, questions about grammar and usage generally refer to specific, underlined words or phrases
in the passages while questions about rhetorical skills may refer to one or more sentences or paragraphs or
even to the entire passage. The sentences and paragraphs are often numbered to correspond with specific
questions.
For each question, you will need to determine which of the four choices is the best answer. You will
always have the option of selecting “no change” if you believe the sentence or paragraph is correct or most
effective as it stands. Because the questions are contextual, you may need to read several sentences beyond
an underlined passage or section to determine the best answer to the question.
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U sage/Mechanics
Usage and mechanics questions make up just over half (53%) of your ACT English Test score, and at least 40
of the 75 questions on the exam will fall into this category. To help you do well and feel comfortable during
the exam, this section reviews the main punctuation marks and how to use them, basic rules of grammar and
usage, and guidelines for effective sentence structure. We will begin with sentence structure, because an under-
standing of the basics of sentence construction will make it easier to review punctuation and grammar rules.
Sentence Structure
Sentence structure refers to the way we compose sentences: how we string subjects, verbs, objects, and mod-
ifiers together in clauses and phrases. Awkward or incorrect placement of phrases and clauses can create con-
fusing or unclear sentences that say things you don’t mean. Sentence structure is also important to style. If
sentence structure is too simple or repetitive, the writing becomes monotonous for the reader. Sentence vari-
ety is an important issue that will be addressed in the rhetorical skills review.
S UBJECTS , P REDICATES , O BJECTS
A ND
When we write, we express our ideas in sentences. But what is a sentence, anyway?
A sentence is the basic unit of written expression in English. It consists of two essential parts—a subject
and a predicate—and it must express a complete thought. The subject of a sentence tells us who or what the
sentence is about—who or what is performing the action of the sentence. The predicate tells us something
about the subject—what the subject is or does. Thus, in the following sentence:
The wind is howling.
The word wind is the subject. It tells us what the sentence is about—who or what performs the action
of the sentence. The verb phrase is howling is the predicate. It describes the action that is being performed by
the subject.
The subject of a sentence can be singular or compound (plural):
I drove for hours. Omar and I drove for hours.
singular subject compound subject (two subjects performing the action)
The predicate can also be singular or compound:
I washed the windows. I washed the windows and hung up new curtains.
singular predicate compound predicate (two actions performed by the subject)
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In many sentences, someone or something “receives” the action expressed in the predicate. This person
or thing is called the direct object. In the sentences below, the subject and predicate are separated by a slash
(/) and the direct object is underlined:
I / washed the windows. (The windows receive the action of being washed.)
Rover / wants food. (Food receives the action of being wanted by Rover.)
Sentences can also have an indirect object: a person or thing which “receives” the direct object. In the
sentences below, the direct object is underlined and the indirect object is in bold:
I / asked Vladimir a question. (Vladimir receives the question; the question receives the
action of being asked.)
The guest / gave the host a gift. (The host receives the gift; the gift receives the action of being
given.)
Practice 1
For each of the following sentences:
A. Put a slash (“/”) between the subject and the predicate.
B. Identify whether the subject is singular or compound.
C. Identify whether the predicate is singular or compound.
D. Underline any direct objects.
E. Circle any indirect objects.
1. Lukas painted a picture.
2. The zookeeper gave the sealions their dinner.
3. Magdalena studied hard and passed the exam easily.
4. Elliott and Evan have been best friends since grade school.
Answers
1. a. Lukas / painted a picture.
b. Singular subject.
c. Singular predicate.
d. picture
e. No indirect objects.
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2. a. The zookeeper / gave the sealions their dinner.
b. Singular subject.
c. Singular predicate.
d. See a.
e. See a.
3. a. Magdalena / studied hard and passed the exam easily.
b. Singular subject.
c. Compound predicate.
d. See a.
e. No indirect object.
4. a. Elliott and Evan / have been best friends since grade school.
b. Compound subject.
c. Singular predicate.
d. No direct object. (Best friends does not receive an action; it is a state of being.)
e. No indirect object.
I NDEPENDENT D EPENDENT C LAUSES
AND
A clause contains a subject and a predicate and may also have direct and indirect objects. An independent
clause expresses a complete thought; it can stand on its own as a sentence. A dependent clause, on the other
hand, cannot stand alone because it expresses an incomplete idea. When a dependent clause stands alone, the
result is a sentence fragment.
Independent clause: He forgot his keys.
Dependent clause: Because he forgot his keys.
Notice that the dependent clause is incomplete; it requires an additional thought to make a complete
sentence, such as:
He was late because he forgot his keys.
The independent clause, however, can stand alone. It is a complete thought.
What makes the dependent clause above dependent is the word because. Because is one of many subor-
dinating conjunctions like the following:
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S UBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
after before that when
although if though where
as, as if once unless wherever
because since until while
When a clause begins with a subordinating conjunction, it must be connected to an independent clause
to become a complete thought:
He was late because he forgot his keys.
independent clause dependent clause
I was so tired that I left the party.
independent clause dependent clause
A sentence with both a dependent clause (DC) and independent clause (IC) is called a complex sen-
tence. Both of the sentences above are complex sentences.
When two independent clauses are combined, the result is a compound sentence like the following:
He was late, so he lost the account.
The most common way to join two independent clauses is with a comma and a coordinating con-
junction: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet. Independent clauses can also be joined with a semi-colon if the ideas
in the sentences are closely related.
I am tall, and he is short. [IC, coordinating conjunction + IC]
I am tall; he is short. [IC; IC]
I was late, yet I still got the account. [IC, coordinating conjunction + IC]
P HRASES M ODIFIERS
AND
Sentences are often “filled out” by phrases and modifiers. Phrases are groups of words that do not have both
a subject and predicate; they might have either a subject or a verb, but not both, and sometimes neither. Mod-
ifiers are words and phrases that qualify or describe people, places, things, and actions. The most common
phrases are prepositional phrases, which consist of a preposition and a noun or pronoun (e.g., in the barn).
Modifiers include adjectives (e.g., red, exclusive, humid) and adverbs (e.g., happily, cautiously). In the fol-
lowing examples, the prepositional phrases are underlined and the modifiers are in bold:
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nguon tai.lieu . vn
