ACT Quick Reference Guide
English: Mechanics and Punctuation
Subject/ Verb Agreement
111.252.1. Singular nouns or pronouns require singular verbs: John reads
111.252.2. Plural nouns or pronouns require plural verbs: Students read
111.252.3. Collective nouns that are singular take singular verbs: The Chicago Bulls is my favorite team.
Noun/Pronoun Agreement
1. CORRECT: If a student parks a car on campus, he or she has to buy a parking sticker.
INCORRECT: If a student parks a car on campus, they have to buy a parking sticker.
2. Remember: Words and phrases such as everybody, anybody, anyone, each, neither, nobody, someone, or a person are singular and take singular pronouns.
CORRECT: Everybody ought to do his or her best.
INCORRECT: their best
Clauses
1. A clause is a group of words with a subject and verb. Dependent clauses cannot stand alone; independent can.
2. Options for joining independent and dependent clauses:
a. Use a comma. DEP, IND. (Remember: If the dependent clause comes after the independent clause, you don't need a comma.)
b. Use a colon or dash if the independent is first and the dependent explains or defines the independent, or the second idea is a list. IND—DEP. or IND: DEP.
3. Options for joining two independent clauses
a. Use a comma and a conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). IND, and IND.
b. Use a semicolon if the two clauses are closely related. IND; IND.
c. Use a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb. IND; however, IND.
d. Use a colon or dash when the first idea is complete and the second explains or defines the first. IND—IND. or IND: IND.
Other Comma Uses
1. With introductory phrases: While taking the ACT exam, don't forget about commas with introductory phrases.
2. With nonessential phrases or words (including appositives you don't have to have): If you can take a phrase out of a sentence, such as this one, set if off on both sides with commas. The same cannot be said, however, for information you need. (You can also use dashes in this way for more emphasis.)
3. With equal adjectives: The sleek, shiny cars drove on the interstate.
Apostrophes
1. Student’s books: implies singular (one student) and possessive/ownership of the following idea—in this case books.
2. Students’ books: implies plural (more than one student) and possessive/ownership of the following idea—in this case books.
3. Its is possessive: Its wing was broken.
4. It’s is a contraction for it is.
Hyphens
1. Hyphenate compound adjectives before the noun only.
The well-dressed man was tired. The man was well dressed and tired.
English: Rhetorical Skills
Word Usage, Idioms, Tense, Parallelism, and Voice
1. Who/whom: determine whether to use who or whom by substituting who with he and whom with him.
2. Use could have, not could of
3. Affect/effect: In most cases affect is a verb and effect is a noun.
The storm will affect traffic.
The effects of the storm will impact traffic.
4. Then/than: Unlike then, than is not related to time. Than is used in comparative statements. Then is used either as a time marker or with a sequence of events.
Another pair of words that I see misused far more often than not is than and then.
I took all of the exams in the morning, and then I spent the rest of the day catching up on sleep.
5. Lie/lay, sit/set, rise/raise
The following take an object: lay, set, raise.
lay the book down
set the book down
raise the flag
The following do not take an object: lie, sit, rise
lie down
sit down
please rise
6. Verb Tense
Present: They see the picture.
Present Perfect: I had seen the musical on Broadway before it opened in other cities.
Past: They walked.
Past Perfect: They had walked.
Future: They will walk.
Perfect: They will have walked
Problems in sequencing tenses usually occur with the perfect tenses, all of which are formed by adding auxiliary verbs such as have, has, had, be, being, been, etc.
7. Few and fewer refer to people or objects that can be counted. Little and less refer to a small quantity.
"I'm a woman of few words," Mae West said.
I have even less to say than Mae.
8. Parallel structure: Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance.
Parallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and bicycling.
Parallel: Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.
(Note: You can use "to" before all the verbs in a sentence or only before the first one.)
Do not mix forms.
9. Shift in verb tense: Do not shift from one tense to another if the time frame for each action or state is the same.
INCORRECT: The instructor explains the diagram to students who asked questions
during the lecture.
CORRECT: The instructor explains the diagram to students who asks questions
during the lecture.
10. Passive/Active Voice: Keep the subject-verb-object order.
Julie tripped the professor. (ACTIVE VOICE)
The professor was tripped by Julie. (PASSIVE VOICE)
Organization: Big box and small box questions
When asked to reorder sentences in a paragraph or paragraphs in an essay, rather than trying all the possible combinations, look for the topic sentence or introduction and use process of elimination. If necessary, look next for the concluding sentence or conclusion.
Reading
1. Four passages: Prose Fiction, Social Science, Humanities, Natural Science
2. 10 questions each, 35 minutes
3. You can be college ready (score of 18-19) by answering 20 of the 40 questions correctly
4. Have a plan:
a. Inventory each passage in 30-45 seconds to see which might be easier based on topic and user-friendliness of text features.
b. Decide on your time frame. You have 35 minutes to divide across four passages. Decide what you need to do based on your reading speed and comprehension.
Sample time combinations: 10 minutes, 10, 10, and 10; 12 minutes, 12, 5, and 5 (plus one minute to review all); 15 minutes, 15, 3, and 2
5. Annotate to save yourself time. It's faster to look at quick notes or underlined parts than to reread entire sections.
6. Have a plan: Faster readers should consider skimming; slower ones, chunking the passages.
7. Consider previewing the bigger picture quesitons.