Transcript ACT Prep English Grammar and Usage 2014-15

ACT Prep
Grammar 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 highpitched 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!