act prep english. subject-verb agreement compound subjects – “and”- plural; “or”-singular...

ACT Prep

English

Subject-Verb Agreement

Compound Subjects– “and”- plural; “or”-singular (agree with subject closest)– My mom and I are excited about the new baby.– My mom or I am going to make dinner this evening.

Inverted Sentences– Swimming in the water was my dad and my dog.

Subject: dad AND dog Verb: should be --were

Words between subject and verb– Champion dogs in the American Kennel Club Competition

wins monetary prizes. Dogs- plural; verb should be plural (win)

Pronoun Usage

Antecedent- the noun that the pronoun is replacing– Every pronoun must have an antecedent

Can not be a phrase or clause Ex: Although Glen is president of the student body, he

has not yet passed his English exam, and because of it, he will not graduate.

– The pronoun and antecedent must agree Either both plural or both singular Ex: I have two cousins. Their names are Sarah and

Laura.

Pronouns Con’t

Antecedents must be clear– The letter is on the desk that we received

yesterday– The letter that we received yesterday is on the

desk– Edward’s father died before he reached his 30th

birthday. – In the manual it says to make three copies.

Adjectives vs. Adverbs

Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs– Party invitation: where, when, why, how, to what

extent?– Usually (!) end in -ly

Adjectives describe nouns– Which one? How Many? How Much? What Kind?

Adj vs. Adv

Use the right part of speech!– He said that the medicine tasted terrible/terribly.– The dog remained faithful/faithfully to its master

until the end.– I felt bad/badly about forgetting the appointment– The professor presented an obvious/obviously

important point in the class.

Double Negatives

NO! I hadn’t hardly begun to understand Spanish.

– I had hardly begun to understand Spanish. On my day off, I got hardly nothing done.

– On my day off, I got hardly anything done. My dog had not barely been home two days

when he ran away.– My dog had barely been home two days when he ran

away.

Nouns vs. Noun Clauses

Noun clauses, especially those that serve as the subject of the sentence, must be properly introduced– Use “that” instead of “why” or “because”

– Ex: Why/That American car manufactures did not reduce car sizes earlier than they did is a mystery.

– Ex: The reason the saxophone is popular is because/that its timbre can approximate the human voice.

Practice

Open Big Book to page 26

Do the following questions: 1,3,4,6-8,11,12,14,16,17,25 and 26-41

Homework: Victory pg. 47 TIMED: 20 minutes --Check your answers!!!