Transcript ACT English Grammar Usage

ACT English
Grammar and Usage
Pronoun
• Pronoun – words used to replace the noun
–
–
–
–
He
she
it
they
Pronoun Agreement
• Rule #1
– The pronoun must always agree with the noun to which it
refers.
• Spot the error:
– Any young boy who watched the first moon landing probably
spent the next few years wishing that they could become an
astronaut.
• Who are we talking about?
• How many?
• Do boy and they mean the same thing?
Pronouns
Singular Pronouns
Plural Pronouns
Subject
Object
Possessive
Subject
Object
Possessive
I
Me
my, mine
We
Us
Our, ours
You
You
You, yours
You
You
You, yours
He
Him
His
They
Them
Their, theirs
She
Her
Hers
It
It
its
Indefinite Pronouns
• These pronouns are all singluar
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Anybody
Anyone
Either
Each
Everybody
Everyone
Somebody
-Someone
-Nobody
Rule #1 Example
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.
B.
C.
D.
NO CHANGE
they are
it can be
it has been
•What is underlined?
–Pronoun
•Who/what are we talking
about?
•How many?
•Find the pronoun that agrees.
•Check for the tense.
Pronoun Agreement
• Rule #2
– If the pronoun is the subject of the sentence use: I,
we, you, he, she, it , they and who.
– If the pronoun is the object of the sentence use: me,
us, you, him, her, it, them and whom.
Rule #2 Example
The students, who had
been studying the space
program, were thrilled to
witness the lunar landing.
NO CHANGE
A.
about whom had been studying
the space program,
B.
whom had been studying the
space program,
C.
who had been studying the
space program
•What is underlined?
–who
•Is who the subject?
•Which answers can we
eliminate?
•What is the difference
between the remaining
answers?
•Is the comma necessary?
Subject-Verb Agreement
• The verb of the sentence must always agree
with the subject.
– Singular subject  singluar verb
– Plural subject  plural verb
• Ex:
– 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.
– Moment is the subject so the verb should be was
Pronoun – Verb Agreement
• Sometimes the subject of the sentence is a
pronoun. That’s ok!
• The verb must still agree with the pronoun.
• Ex:
– 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.
– Each is the pronoun and it is singular
– Have played is plural and should be has played
Verb Tense
• Present tense
• Past tense
• Future tense
• Present perfect tense
– Started in the past, continues to the present
• Past perfect tense
– Happened in the past before another past action
• Future perfect tense
– Will be completed in the future
ACT and Verb Tense
• ACT doesn’t want you to know the names and
meanings of the tenses
• They want you to be able to spot
inconsistencies.
• EX:
– Sam is walking down the street when he found a
large suitcase.
– Sam was walking…
Adjectives and Adverbs
• Adjectives – modify the noun
• Adverbs – modify everything else
• Which is correct?
– He is very intelligent.
– He is very intelligently.
Idiomatic Expressions
• You already know most of the idiomatic
expressions ACT will use.
• EX: My sculpture is based after Rodin’s Thinker.
A.
B.
C.
D.
No Change
is based over
is based on
based on