english act prep grammar and usage. the english test is a 75-question, 45-minute test, covering:...

English ACT Prep

Grammar and Usage

The English test is a 75-question, 45-minute test, covering:

Usage/Mechanics(53% - 40 questions)

• Punctuation (13%)• Grammar and usage (16%) • Sentence structure (24%)

Rhetorical Skills(47% or 35 questions)• Strategy (16%)• Organization (15%)• Style (16%)

Grammar and Usage

Grammatical Rules Most Tested:• Noun-pronoun agreement• Pronoun-case agreement• Subject-verb agreement• Verb tense• Proper placement of adverbs and adjectives• Correct use of idiom

Pronouns

Words used to replace nouns.(he, she, it, they, etc.)

Pronoun Rule Number 1

Agreement

Pronoun Rule #1: Agreement

A pronoun must always agree with the noun it refers to.

Sound Simple?


Identify the error in the sentence below:

Any young boy who watched the first moon landing probably spent the next few years wishing that they could become an astronaut.



Any young boy who watched the first moon landing probably spent the next few years wishing that he could become an astronaut.

Commonly Used Singular PronounsSingular Pronouns

Subject Object Possessive

I Me My

You You Mine

He Him Your

She Her Yours

It It His

Hers

Its

Commonly Used Plural PronounsPlural Pronouns

Subject Object Possessive

We Us Our

You You Ours

They Them You

Yours

Their

Theirs



Neither of the two young girls with whom I watched the first moon landing expressed their feelings out loud, but I knew that all three of us wanted to be astronauts too.



Neither of the two young girls with whom I watched the first moon landing expressed their feelings out loud, but I knew that all three of us wanted to be astronauts too.

Be careful with Indefinites!


The following indefinite pronouns are singular:

EitherNeitherEachAnyoneNo oneEveryoneEverybodySomebodyAnybody



Neither of the two young girls with whom I watched the first moon landing expressed her feelings out loud, but I knew that all three of us wanted to be astronauts too.


Although the American bald eagle has been on the endangered species list for years, they have been sighted in wildlife preserves much more frequently during the past two years.

A. NO CHANGEB. they areC. it can beD. it has been

On the ACT:

Pronoun rule #2

Case

Pronoun Rule #2: Case

If a pronoun is the subject of the sentence, it must be expressed as a subject:

I, we, he, she , it ,they, and whoIf a pronoun is the object of the sentence, or

the object of the preposition, it must be expressed as an object:me, us, you, him, her, it, them, and whom.


Which choice best fits the sentence below?

(She/Her) bought a souvenir NASA sweatshirt.


Which choice best fits the sentence below?

Jane bought a souvenir NASA sweatshirt for (he/him).


Who/Whom

Who/Whom

Let’s look at a correct example:

The T.V. announcer, who was quite an expert, told us many interesting facts about the lunar mission.

Who/Whom

Let’s look at a correct example:

The T.V. announcer, who was quite an expert, told us many interesting facts about the lunar mission.

Always use “who” when the relative pronoun is functioning as the subject of a clause, or as the subject of the entire sentence

Who/Whom

Let’s look at a another correct example:

Before the moon landing, the T.V announcer gave some additional background on the astronauts, about whom we were all quite interested.

Who/Whom

Let’s look at a another correct example:

Before the moon landing, the T.V, announcer gave some additional background on the astronauts, about whom we were all quite interested.

Always use “whom” when the pronoun is functioning as the object of a preposition, or of the entire sentence.


The students, who had been studying the space program, were thrilled to witness the lunar landing.

A. NO CHANGEB. about who had been

studying the space program

C. whom had been studying the space program

D. who had been studying the space program

On the ACT:

Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb of a sentence must always agree with its subject:

• If the subject is singular, then the verb must be singular.

• If the subject is plural, then the verb must be plural.



The best moment during a broadcast filled with many great moments were when the astronaut stepped out of the lunar lander and bounced on the moon.



The best moment during a broadcast filled with many great moments was when the astronaut stepped out of the lunar lander and bounced on the moon.



The best moment were when the astronaut stepped out of the lunar lander and bounced on the moon.

?


Be careful with subjects that are pronouns!


The verb must still agree with the subject, even if it is just a pronoun:

Each of these moments have played in my mind again and again as I try to recapture the excitement of that momentous day in June.


The verb must still agree with the subject, even if it is just a pronoun:

Each of these moments has played in my mind again and again as I try to recapture the excitement of that momentous day in June.


A strategy to use when you come across a subject-verb agreement question is to isolate the subject and the verb, even physically placing parentheses around all the extra words, phrases or clauses in between.

Verb Tense

Verb Tense

A review…

Present Tense (what is happening now):

He runs the 440 in 50 seconds.

Verb Tense

A review…

Past Tense (what happened entirely in the past):

He ran the 440 in 50 seconds.

Verb Tense

A review…

Present Perfect Tense (action started in the past, but may continue into the present):

He has run the 440 in 50 seconds in the last four races.

Verb Tense

A review…

Past Perfect Tense (happened in the past and preceded another event in the past):

He had run 100 yards when he twisted his ankle.

Verb Tense

A review…

Future Tense (will happen sometime down the road):

He will run the race next Saturday.

Verb Tense

A review…

Future Perfect Tense (will be completed by a definite time in the future):

He will have finished the race by next Saturday.

Verb Tense

ACT is looking for inconsistencies. (If a verb in a non-underlined portion of the

sentence is in one tense, the verb in the underlined portion will tend to be in the same

tense.)

Verb Tense

What’s wrong with the following sentence?

Sam is walking down the street when he found a large suitcase.

Verb Tense

What’s wrong with the following sentence?

Sam is walking down the street when he found a large suitcase?

Verb Tense

Two fixes:

Sam is walking down the street when he finds a large suitcase.

OrSam was walking down the street when he

found a large suitcase.

Adjectives and Adverbs


Two basic rules:

1. Adjectives modify nouns

2. Adverbs modify verbs


A simple procedure:

Put the word you are now sure about in the following sentence:

He/She/It is very _____.

If the word fits the blank, then the word is an adjective.


Let’s try it out:

He is very intelligent.

He is very intelligently.


Let’s try it out:

He is very intelligent.(adjective)

He is very intelligently.(adverb)


Comparative Adjectives and Adverbs


A comparative adjective is often used when a sentence is comparing two things:

Juanita is taller than Jane.


In general, if an adjective has only one syllable, you can make it comparative by adding an “-er” to the end of the word.

If an adjective has more than one syllable, you can usually make it comparative by adding a “more” or “less” in front of the adjective.


If an adjective has more than one syllable, you can usually make it comparative by adding a “more” or “less” in front of the adjective:

Sid is more careful than Tom.

Tom is less careful than Sid.


A comparative adverb is often used when a sentence is comparing two actions:

Juanita dances more gracefully than Jane.


To make most adverbs comparative, you also need to add a “more” or “less” in front of the adverb:

Sid behaves more correctly than Tom does.

Tome behaves less correctly than Sid does.


Superlative Adjectives and Adverbs


When more than two things are being compared, a sentence often needs a superlative adjective:

Of the many men in the room, John is the strongest.


When more than two things are being compared, a sentence often needs a superlative adjective:

Of the many men in the room, John is the strongest.

To make a comparison among three or more people or things, add “est” to the adjective.


When more than two actions are being compared, a sentence often needs a superlative adverb:

Compared to the other boys in the school, Sid behaves the most correctly.

english act prep grammar and usage. the english test is a 75-question, 45-minute test, covering:...

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