ACT PrepGrammar and Usage 2014-15

English Topics

Subject-verb agreement (# 8)

Pronoun use (# 3)

Modifying phrases (# 9)

Adjectives and adverbs (# 10)

Sentence structure (#s 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 13)

Subject Verb Agreement

1. The female frog hop to the lily pad of the cute male frog.

A: The female frog hops to the lily pad of the cute male frog.

Rule: A singular subject needs a singular verb. A plural subject needs a plural verb.

Subject Verb Agreement

2. The female frog, who has been having little success with websites like FrogDate and Croaker, hop to the lily pad of the cute male frog.

A. The female frog, who has been having little success with websites like FrogDate and Croaker, hops to the lily pad of the cute male frog.

Strategy 1: Don’t be fooled when the ACT test throws a lot of modifying phrases between the subject and the verb. Stay focused!

Subject Verb Agreement

3. These days, the one perfect male frog in a pond full of mediocre male frogs is so hard to find.

NO CHANGE

These days, the one perfect male frog in a pond full of mediocre male frogs is so hard to find.

Subject Verb Agreement

4. What makes a male frog attractive is a bulbous throat sac, moist eyeballs, and a pungent stench.

What make a male frog attractive are a bulbous throat sac, moist eyeballs, and a pungent stench.

Strategy 2: Read the sentence carefully. Don’t be fooled when the test place the subject after the verb.

When in doubt, rearrange the sentence.

A bulbous throat sac, moist eyeballs, and a pungent stench make a male frog attractive.

Tip: When the subject is singular the verb HAS an “s.”

When the subject is plural the verb LOSES the “s.”

Subject Verb Agreement

5. Each of the members of the boy-frog band Green Directions is dreamy.

NO CHANGE

5. Each of the members of the boy-frog band Green Directions is dreamy.

Strategy 3: Be mindful of singular words that are often misused as plural words.

Words: Anyone, anything, everything, everyone, everybody, neither/nor, either/or, somebody, nobody, none, each.

Subject Verb Agreement

6. Neither a long tongue nor a loud croak are as impressive to me as a secure sense of emotional maturity.

Neither a long tongue nor a loud croak is as impressive to me as a secure sense of emotional maturity.

Subject Verb Agreement

7. Children today, who have been raised in a worlds where songs can be freely downloaded from any number of websites, doesn’t know about the early days of Internet piracy.

Children today, who have been raised in a worlds where songs can be freely downloaded from any number of websites, don’t know about the early days of Internet piracy.

Subject Verb Agreement

Strategy 4: Know the ACT will try to confuse you with groups, which are singular, and members of groups, which are plural.

Countries, companies, and departments are singular; however, members of countries, companies, and departments are plural.

The class is stressed.

The members of the class are stressed.

Subject Verb Agreement

8. Each of the data pirates were famous for a unique and fearsome battle cry.

A: Each of the data pirates was famous for a unique and fearsome battle cry.

Subject Verb Agreement

9. But what truly made them terrifying was their eye patches, scabbards, and squawking parrots.

But what truly made them terrifying were their eye patches, scabbards, and squawking parrots.

Pronouns Should Agree with the Verb

10. When my father gets mad, they go to a room and yell at the wall.

A: When my father gets mad, they go to a room and yell at the wall.

Strategy 5: Pronouns need also agree with their verbs.

Pronouns Should Agree with the Verb

11. Somebody, either the Destroyer of Worlds or the AllKrusher, obliterated my civilization, but they aren’t confessing to the crime.

Somebody, either the Destroyer of Worlds or the AllKrusher, obliterated my civilization, but he or she aren’t confessing to the crime.

Pronouns Should Agree with the Verb

12. Any villain worth their reputation would have left a note saying “I destroyed this civilization.”

Any villain worth his or her reputation would have left a note saying “I destroyed this civilization.”

Modifying Phrases

13. Terrence Winterbean made a soup for his friend Shantel that was made of melted Cherry Now and Laters.

A: Terrence Winterbean made a soup out of melted Cherry Now and Laters for his friend Shantel.

Strategy 6: A modifying phrase is a word or group of words that tells us more about something in the sentence. The modifying phrase needs to be next to the thing it modifies.

The phrase “melted Cherry Now and Laters” modifies “soup,” so it needs to be placed next to “soup.” Otherwise, someone might think that Shantel was made of Cherry Now and Laters, which is not true.

Modifying Phrases

14. Blown away by the authentic cherry flavor, the soup completely impressed Shantel.

A: Blown away by the authentic cherry flavor, Shantel was completely impressed by the soup.

Modifying Phrases

15. Though flattered by her proposal, Terrence’s answer had to be no. He was already married to his love of cooking soup.

A: Though flattered by her proposal, Terrence had to tell her no. He was already married to his love of cooking soup.

Terrance’s answer isn’t flattered, it was Terrance. Remember that modifying phrases need to be next to the thing it modifies.

Adjectives and Adverbs

16. Tuvald’s slowly cat was led slow behind the slowly old man, who, luckily, also walked slow.

A: Tuvald’s slow cat was led slowly behind the slow old man, who, luckily, also walked slowly.

Strategy 7: Adjectives and Adverbs are used to describe and modify. Adjectives modify nouns, and adverbs modify verbs. There will be two common ways the ACT will try to throw you off.

Adjectives and Adverbs

17. Tuvald’s cat is slow, sure, but Bryony’s cats, Annie-Rose and Alfie, are more slower.

A: Tuvald’s cat is slow sure, but Bryony’s cats, Annie-Rose and Alfie, are slower.

You cannot combine “more” with “slower”.

Adjectives and Adverbs

Additional Practice

You’re sure not going to find cats slower than Bryony’s.

A: You’re surely not going to find cats slower than Bryony’s.

99% of the time adverbs need the “ly.” Make sure to always keep it on or add it on the ACT.

Sentence Structure

Sentence Structure

As you can see Officer. This little tyke was perpetrating identity theft, which is a felony.

A: As you can see, Officer, this little tyke was perpetrating identity theft, which is a felony.

Strategy 8: The ACT will try to trick you by putting a dependent clause next to a related independent clause. It will read smooth, but it is wrong.

Sentence Structure

If we keep allowing kids to get away with this egregious behavior. Society will fall apart within months.

A: If we keep allowing kids to get away with this egregious behavior, society will fall apart within months.

Sentence Structure

Prepare for an apocalyptic wasteland of gangs and mutant dogs. If you don’t lock this kid up tight.

Prepare for an apocalyptic wasteland of gangs and mutant dogs if you don’t lock this kid up tight.

Sentence Structure

Run-on Sentences

4. People who tape themselves together should be ridiculed they look preposterous and are cheating the movie-theatre industry of much-needed income.

A: People who tape themselves together should be ridiculed. They look preposterous and are cheating the movie-theatre industry of much-needed income.

Run-on Sentences, common mistakes: Shoving two independent clauses together with no punctuation.

Sentence Structure

Run-on Sentences

5. We should all throw tapers in jail, they pose just as serious a threat as do six-year olds who pretend to be adults.

A: We should all throw tapers in jail. They pose just as serious a threat as do six-year olds who pretend to be adults.

Run-on Sentences, common mistakes: Connecting two independent clauses with a comma.

Sentence Structure

Run-on Sentences

6. We can throw the “tapers” in one wing of the prison, the children can be locked away in a separate wing.

A: We can throw the “tapers” in one wing of the prison. The children can be locked away in a separate wing.

Sentence Structure

Parallelism and Comparisons

1. Tomorrow, I want to drink a large milk shake, ride a roller coaster, and spending the rest of the day complaining.

A: Tomorrow, I want to drink a large milk shake, ride a roller coaster, and spend the rest of the day complaining.

Strategy 9: The three activities listed need to be in parallel grammatical form. Be careful of two similar parts that sound good together, but are not parallel. (“either/or,” “neither/or,” “both/and,” or “and”)

Sentence Structure

2. Either the shark tank goes or I’ll have to leave.

A: Either the shark tank goes or I’ll go!

Sentence Structure

3. After hearing the new Franken Cats album, I both jumped up in excitement and a high-pitched squeal came out of my mouth.

A: After hearing the new Franken Cats album, I both jumped up in excitement and emitted a high-pitched squeal.

Make sure that the phrases that follow “either/or” and “both/and” follow the same grammatical structure. Also, when comparing two things we need to make sure we are comparing the same type of thing.

Sentence Structure

4. FrakenCats songs are infinitely better than the derivative band ZombieCats.

A: FrakenCats songs are infinitely better than the songs of the derivative band ZombieCats.

Compare songs to songs.

Sentence Structure

The number of FrankenCats songs that are still relevant is greater than ZombieCats songs.

A: The number of FrankenCats songs that are still relevant is greater than the number of ZombieCats songs.

Sentence Structure

Redundancy

6. I bought 12 horses by ordering a dozen Equus equidae.

12 horses=a dozen equss equidae

This one is pretty clear, ACT will not make it this easy.

Sentence Structure

7. Sitha takes a yoga class every Monday and Thursday of each week.

A: Sitha takes a yoga class every Monday and Thursday.

Sentence Structure

8. The reason Sitha does so much yoga is because she wants to attain total enlightenment.

A: The reason Sitha does so much yoga is she wants to attain total enlightenment.

OR: reason Sitha does so much yoga because she wants to attain total enlightenment.

“Is” and “because” mean the same thing, and to use both is redundant.

Sentence Structure

9. Once she attains total enlightenment, Sitha plans to both sell it for $39.99 a dose as well as market it to young people seeking transcendence.

A: Once she attains total enlightenment, Sitha plans to both sell it for $39.99 a dose as and market it to young people seeking transcendence.

Remember the pair is “both/and”, not “both/as well.”

A big hint here is when the ACT offers OMIT as an answer choice, this often means that the part underlined is a redundancy. Check to make sure it needs to be there.

Sentence Structure

Active and Passive Voice

The Queen’s jewels were stolen by a masked bandit!

A: A masked bandit stole the Queen’s jewels!

The Queen’s jewels were stolen!

A: Someone stole the Queen’s jewels!