Transcript ACT Grammar Lesson: Verb Tense

Correct these sentences:
1. The young man, who was moving into his new
apartment, had never use a microwave before.
2. Sally was crossing the street in a busy place; she
screams when the bus almost hit her.
3. I comb my hair different now than I used to.
4. The smartest of the twins is very spoiled.
5. We felt badly about missing the farewell party.
6. Something in the refrigerator smelled badly.
7. The police reacted swift when they received the
tip.
ACT Grammar Lesson: Verb Tense
• Verb tense tells us
when the action of
the sentence is
taking place
– in the past,
– in the present,
– or in the future
The Present Tense
• Indicates that
the action is
happening
now
–He runs the
440 in 50
seconds.
The simple PAST tense
• Indicates an action
that took place
entirely in the past.
– He ran the 440 in 50
seconds last week.
The perfect PAST Tense
• Indicates an action
that started in the
past, but that may
continue into the
present:
– He has fun the 440 in
under 50 seconds in
the last four races.
The Future Tense
• Indicates an action
that will take place
at some point down
the road.
– He will run the race
next Sunday.
The Future perfect Tense
• Indicates that an
action will be
completed by a
definite time in the
future.
– He will have finished
the race by next
Sunday.
ACT and Verb Tense
• You don’t have to
know the names of
the verb tenses.
• ACT writers test
whether or not you
can spot
inconsistencies in
verb tense (they are
testing agreement
skills).
ACT and Verb Tense
• If a verb in a non-underlined portion of the
sentence is in one tense, the verb in the
underlined portion will tend to be in the same
tense.
• What’s wrong with this sentence?
– Sam is walking down the street when he found a
large suitcase.
– Sam is walking down the street when he ______ a
large suitcase
ACT and Verb Tense
• What’s wrong with
this sentence?
– Sam is walking down
the street when he
found a large suitcase.
– Sam is walking down
the street when he
FINDS a large suitcase
Adjectives and Adverbs
• Adjectives modify
nouns.
• Adverbs modify
everything elseverbs, adjectives, and
other adverbs.
• ACT tests whether or
not you know the
difference between
adjectives and
adverbs
Which is which?
• Simple Test:
– Simply put the word
you aren’t sure about
into the following
sentence:
–“He is very.”
– If the word fits the
blank, then the word is
an adjective.
Simple Test: Let’s Try It
1. He is very intelligent.
2. He is very intelligently.
• Intelligent fits the blank in the first sentence, so
intelligent must be an adjective.
• Intelligently does not fit the blank in the
second sentence. In fact, intelligently is an
adverb which answers the question, “how”.
• You can often recognize an adverb by the “-ly”
at the end of the word.
Adjectives and Adverbs: Digging Deeper
• A comparative
adjective is often used
when a sentence is
comparing two things:
– Juanita is taller than
Jane.
– (“Taller” is the
comparative adjective.)
Adjectives and Adverbs: Digging Deeper
• Usually if an adjective has only one syllable,
you can make it comparative by adding an “er” to the end of the word.
• If an adjective has more than one syllable, you
can usually make it comparative by adding a
“more” or a “less” in front of the adjective”
– Sid is more careful than Tom.
– Tom is less careful than Sid.
Adjectives and Adverbs: Digging Deeper
• A comparative adverb is often used when a
sentence is comparing two actions:
– Juanita dances more gracefully than Jane.
– (“More gracefully” is a comparative adverb.
• To make adverbs comparative, you also need
to add a “more” or “less” in front of the
adverb.
– Sid behaves more correctly than Tom does.
– Tom behaves less correctly than Sid does.
Adjectives and Adverbs: Digging Deeper
• When more than two
things are being
compared, a sentence
often needs a
superlative adjective:
– Of the many men in the
room, John is the
strongest.
– (“Strongest” is a
superlative adjective.)
Adjectives and Adverbs: Digging Deeper
• To make a comparison among three or more
people or things, add “-est” to the adjective.
When more than two actions are being
compared, a sentence often needs a
superlative adverb:
– Compared to other boys in the school, Sid
behaves the most correctly.
– (“Most correctly” is a superlative adverb.)
Correct these sentences:
1. The young man, who was moving into his new
apartment, had never used a microwave before.
2. Sally was crossing the street in a busy place; she
screamed when the bus almost hit her.
3. I comb my hair differently now than I used to.
4. The smarter of the twins is very spoiled.
5. We felt bad about missing the farewell party.
6. Something in the refrigerator smelled bad.
7. The police reacted swiftly when they received
the tip.
Partner Work: Verbs
Partner Work: Adjectives & Adverbs
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” Discussion
1. What led to the decision to start the
protests in Birmingham?
2. What are the four steps involved in King’s
nonviolent campaign?
3. What exactly does King mean by
“nonviolent direct action”?
4. In King’s view, what is the difference
between defying the law and breaking an
“unjust” law?
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” Notes
• You must include information from
informational sources in your paper. This can
count as one source. Examples:
– “Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?”
– “We know through painful experience that freedom
is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be
demanded by the oppressed.”
– “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial
prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of
misunderstanding will be lifted from our feardrenched communities.”
Your Assignment
1. Take “Letter from
Birmingham Jail”
online quiz.
2. Work on finishing
IKWTCBS for
tomorrow’s
discussion and quiz.
3. Start working on
Adversity paper.