Transcript File - panthersfuture

What is wrong with this lyric?
Can you handle me the way I are?
Subject Verb Agreement
• Most missed questions on the ACT
The verb within a sentence needs to match in singular/plural
and tense with the subject
Verb = the action word
Subject = the person place, thing, or idea that is doing or
being something
Highlight the subject and circle the verb in the following
sentence:
Most students take the ACT in April.
Basic Subject Rules
• Singular subject takes a singular verb
- The horse leaves the barn.
- Catherine runs on the beach.
• Compound subject takes a plural verb
- The horses leave the barn.
- Catherine and her dog run on the beach
Agreement
Rule: The subject and verb must agree
Where is the mistake?
Cori, along with her sisters, spend hours
cleaning the house.
• Correct -Cori, along with her sisters, spends
hours cleaning the house.
Cori is the singular subject within this sentence.
The verb must also be singular to match the
subject.
ACT Test Rule: When a verb is underlined within a question, trust your ear. When
in doubt, identify its subject and make sure singular/plural and tense match the
subject
Tricky ACT Grammar
Which sentence is correct?
a. Paul, along with his cats, were going to the vet.
b. Paul, along with his cats, was going to the vet.
The underlined portion of these sentences is called a
prepositional phrase
Paul is the subject that is doing the action, so the verb
must agree with the singular subject (Paul). His
cats are included to confuse the test taker.
The ACT likes to confuse test takers by including
prepositional phrases within their questions.
An Easy Fix
• Don’t Panic! There is a simple solution you
can use to out-smart the test makers. Simply
ignore the extra information within the
sentence
ACT Test Trick: When a verb is underlined, identify the subject and
cross out any prepositional phrases; a prepositional phrase NEVER
counts as the subject of the verb.
What should I cross out?
• Jimmy with his friends walks to the store
• The number of awards proves how smart Sally
is.
• Billy along with six kids goes to the store.
• Jimmy with his friends walks to the store
• The number of awards proves how smart Ms.
Mueller is.
• Billy along with six kids goes to the store.
Helpful Hint
Read the question to yourself and trust your ear! If something does not
sound right, then it is probably incorrect.
Practice
Cross out the prepositional phrase, and then
select the correct answer.
I, with several other interns, were arriving at the
“Bermuda Government Offices”.
a. No change
c. was arriving
b. Had been arrived d. were being arriving
It’s Me!
What should be changed in the underlined
portions of this sentence?
Sometime in college, Manuel and me had heard
that an enlightened person is so relaxed that
their eyes are always half closed. I doubt its
true, but at the time we believed it.
Using It’s and Me
• It’s/Its and Me usage is something to know for
the ACT
Correct Sentence: Sometime in college, Manuel
and I had heard that an enlightened person is
so relaxed that their eyes are always half
closed. I doubt it’s true, but at the time we
believed it.
It’s Vs. Its
What is the difference?
• It’s = It is ( a contraction, like can’t, won’t,
didn’t)
• Its= possessive case
When determining whether to use it’s or its, simply insert “it is” into the
sentence. If this makes sense, then your answer is it’s ( with an
apostrophe). If “ it is” does not make sense within the sentence, then the
answer is “its” (no apostrophe)
It’s Time to Practice
A few years later we were traveling and met a
guru, a very advanced yoga teacher. “The key
to a yoga practice,” he said, “is to follow its
call.” We all sat together awhile and talked.
a) No change
b) It’s
c) Their
d) They’re
Me Me Me
All about me/I
I Vs. Me
Highlight the sentence that sounds better.
• Ashley and Me thought we were fluent in
Spanish.
• Ashley and I thought we were fluent in
Spanish.
ACT Test Trick
If “I” or “ me” is underlined, test it by putting the I/me first or drop the
other person and trust your ear. This trick also works with He/him, she/her,
We/us, they/them, and who/whom.
The Scene was perfect. Someone brought tea to
Manuel and I. The guru wore all white and sandals
and spoke in wise aphorisms.
How should you rewrite this to test whether to use
me or I?
Someone brought tea to Manuel and I.
Someone brought tea to I.
Does that sound correct?
Some Practice For You and Me
• The Scene was perfect. Someone brought tea
to Manuel and I. The guru wore all white and
sandals and spoke in wise aphorisms.
a. no change
b. Manuel and myself
c. Manuel and, I
d. Manuel and me
I was listening to a story about he and his
student, when I realized that the guru’s eyes
were half closed. “Wow,” I thought “he is
enlightened.”
a. no change
b. his student and himself
c. him and his student
d. his student and he
Recap of ACT Tricks
Remember
 subject and verb must agree
Cross out the extra info
Replace its/it’s with it is
put the I/me first or drop the other person
and trust your ear
If it doesn’t sound right, then it is most likely
wrong
Commas, Periods, Semicolons, Oh
My!
What do I use and when?
Phrases that can stand alone are separated with a semicolon, commas with
aconjunction( and, but, or, yet) or a period.
Examples of punctuation usage
Semicolon: He woke up; he decided to go back to bed.
Comma with “and” : He woke up, and he decided to go back to bed.
Period: He woke up. He decided to go back to bed.
Both parts of this sentence can stand alone. They are independent clauses.
This allows for the use of a semicolon, a comma with “and”, or the creation of two
separate sentences with the insertion of a period.
Practice
Test Trick
Test your sentence. Can you make two separate sentences? If the answer is yes, then
you can use a period, a semicolon, or a comma with “and” to separate the clauses.
What are the two independent clauses in this sentence? What two ideas can stand
alone?
Jean Piaget popularized a theory of intellectual development he taught that all
children moved through a set pattern of development in a fixed order
Jean Piaget popularized a theory of intellectual development
He taught that all children moved through a set pattern of development in a
fixed order
Independent Ideas
Rewrite the sentence three different ways using
a semicolon, a period, and a comma + “and”.
Jean Piaget popularized a theory of intellectual development; he taught that all
children moved through a set pattern of development in a fixed order
Jean Piaget popularized a theory of intellectual development. He taught that all
children moved through a set pattern of development in a fixed order
Jean Piaget popularized a theory of intellectual development, and he taught that all
children moved through a set pattern of development in a fixed order
Practice
I found my department, and I was immediately
given a list of mundane tasks.
Which of the following alternatives to the
underlined portion would NOT be acceptable?
a. department: and I was
b. department; I was
c. department and was
d. department. I was
Colons: more than a semicolon
ACT Grammar Rule
Use a colon after an independent clause to direct attention to a list, an appositive, a
quotation, or a summary or an explanation.
Examples
Before A List
You will need to bring three things to class Monday: your brains, your books, and
yourself.
After an independent clause that is followed by information that directly modifies or
adds to the clause (reasoning of the content)
The novel is clearly autobiographical: the author even gives his own name to the main
character.
Another way to think about colons
Colons are used after complete sentences to introduce related information that
usually comes in the form of a list, an explanation, or a quotation.
Example:
( Explanation)
The wedding had all the elements to make it a classic: the elegant bride beamed as
her mother wept and as the bridesmaids fainted.
( Quotation)
The mothers exclamation best summed up the wedding: “ If only the bridesmaids
hadn’t fainted!”
Practice
The charming elements of the city are difficult
to avoid the vintage lights, the cobbled
streets, and the historic buildings
a. No change
b. avoid:
c. avoid,
d. avoid;
Practice
There are several reasons why children love the
Beatles’ early work, and those reasons are:
the melodies are sweet and catchy, the lyrics
are pleasant and easily memorized, and the
artistry is exciting.
a. No change
b. work, some of the reasons
c. work:
d. work, because:
Skill Recap
• Phrases that can stand alone are separated with a
semicolon, commas with “and,” or a period.
• Test your sentence. Can you make two separate
sentences? If the answer is yes, then you can use a
period, a semicolon, or a comma with “and” to
separate the clauses.
• A colon is used before a list or after an independent
clause that is followed by summary or explanation.
Grammar Day Three
Pronouns
• Pronoun: takes the place of either a proper or
a common noun.
• Substitutes the noun in the sentence
ACT Rule: A pronoun should be placed so that it clearly refers
to a specific noun ( its antecedent or its pronoun antecedent)
Must match singular/plural form of the noun it
is referring to.
Trace The Noun
My grandma begins to flatten the dough with a
wooden roller coated with flour. I devote my energies
to the cookie cutters. They are all heaped together in
an old plastic shopping bag. I become overwhelmed
by my options and lay them all out. I love the
simplicity of the star, but am also intrigued by the
complexity of the Santa. There’s also the reindeer,
the Christmas tee, and the sleigh. I select each
cookie cutter that we will use and realize I have
chosen mostly stars and Santas.
Singular and Plural Pronouns
Singular pronoun antecedents ( these words receive
singular pronouns to replace them)
- each, either, neither, one, no one, nobody, nothing,
anyone, anybody, anything, someone, somebody,
something, everyone, everybody, everything
Each student received his or her grade.
PLURAL: several, few, both, many
Many students forgot their worksheets.
Ambiguous Pronouns
• Examples of Ambiguous Pronouns
- Incorrect: Some foods are dangerous for your
pets, so they should be placed out of reach.
- Correct: Some foods are dangerous for your
pets, so these foods should be placed out of
reach.
Practice
Correct the mistake
• Matt and Phil left early to get his guitar repaired
• Matt and Phil left early to get_________ guitar repaired.
Be Specific!
ACT Rule
When a pronoun is underlined, we must be totally sure what noun it is referring to.
If it is unclear in any way, it is incorrect. The underlined pronoun must also match (
singular or plural) the noun that it refers to
Are these sentences correct? If not, correct them.
1. A small child will always want to be with their parent
or guardian.
2. Despite the controversy surrounding the candidates,
the committee made their decision very quickly.
3. Betty needed to go to her locker.
Corrections
1.A small child will always want to be with his or
her parent or guardian. ( singular)
2.Despite the controversy surrounding the
candidates, the committee made its decision
very quickly. ( singular)
3.Betty needed to go to her locker. ( correct)
Parallel Construction
Definition: putting grammatical elements that
have the same function in the same form
Having a recognizable pattern within a sentence.
Example: I like to sing, to dance, and to read.
Incorrect: I like to sing, dancing, and to read.
What is the difference?
How does this work?
• Make sure all words, phrases, and clauses
used within a sentence share the same
grammatical form
More examples:
Patricia enjoyed running and riding her bike.
The distance from L.A to Detroit is greater than
the distance from Detroit to New York City.
Practice
Correct these sentences by underlining the
incorrect portion and modify the sentence to
reflect parallel structure.
1. This car is sporty, economical, and goes very fast.
2. I like reading books, walking my dog, and crossword
puzzles.
3. She knocked over the computer, damaging the outer
casing, ruining the screen, and the draft of her
Advocacy paper was almost destroyed.
4. Look at the directions above!
Answers
1. This car is sporty, economical, and very fast.
2. I like reading books, walking my dog, and doing
crossword puzzles.
3. She knocked over the computer, damaging the outer
casing, ruining the screen, and almost destroying
the draft of her Advocacy paper.
4. Correct these sentences by underlining the incorrect
portion and modifying the sentence to reflect
parallel structure.
The two of us will be singing a duet.
Together.
How redundant.
Why is Waldo right about Alfalfa being
redundant?
Redundancy
Don’t Be redundant. Redundancy is something
you should not do.
Redundancy: the attribute of being superfluous
and unneeded
AKA saying the same idea two different ways or
using different words that mean the same
thing.
ACT Rule
The ACT likes crisp and clear; we always want the answer that is most clear, concise,
direct, and nonredundant.
Examples:
Frank was elected as Chairman unanimously by all members.
Unanimously means that everyone made the same decision. We do not need
to say “all members” to make our point.
Norm Bruce is most widely remembered today for his invention and creation
of the pitching machine.
Why is this wrong?
Invention and creation are the same concept. We do not need to say it twice to
understand the meaning of the sentence.
Practice
It was a routine Sunday evening and like many
others.
In due course, after waiting for awhile, my
neighbor signaled for the waitress and asked her
why he still had not received his calamari.
After meditating my muscles became relaxed
and less tight.
Answers
• It was a routine Sunday evening and like many
others.
• In due course, after waiting for awhile, my
neighbor signaled for the waitress and asked
her why he still had not received his calamari.
• After meditating my muscles became relaxed
and less tight.
More Practice and more questions
to work on your skills.
When you are ready and all set, gently stretch in
a way that feels most natural for you.
What should be left in the sentence?
a. No change
b. Set and ready
c. All ready and set
d. ready
More, further, other practice
What I said to my neighbor intern who worked
next to me was meant for only her to hear.
a. No change
b. Neighbor intern next to me
c. Neighbor intern
d. Neighbor, the intern next to me