A: I couldn’t believe it. I mean, who would have guessed? I sure didn’t! I had no clue, no clue
at all. And I was the last person to find out, too. It figures.
B: I was deeply shocked; I had never suspected such a thing. Not surprisingly, I was the last
person to become aware of the situation.
These two examples are drastically different in style and in the level of formality. Though they both tell
the same story and both use the personal first-person I, there’s clearly a different relationship to the reader.
From the word choice and style—the short sentences, the very casual language—we can tell that the writer
of passage A has a more informal, more friendly relationship with the reader than the writer of passage B.
The emotion of the writer in passage A is much more transparent, too, because the language is more infor-
mal and natural. You get the idea that passage A is addressed to a friend while passage B might be addressed
to an official.
On the ACT, you probably won’t be asked directly about level of formality. But you can use your aware-
ness of level of formality to draw conclusions about audience and to determine which revisions or additions
would best fit the text.
Practice 15
Rank the sentences below according to formality. Put a 1 next to the sentence that is most formal and a 3 next
to the sentence that is most casual.
1. ______ Move faster.
______ Pick up the pace.
______ Increase your speed.
2. ______ Gimme a hand, would you?
______ Would you please assist me?
______ Would you help me out here?
Answers
1. 2 Move faster.
3 Pick up the pace.
1 Increase your speed.
2. 3 Gimme a hand, would you?
1 Would you please assist me?
2 Would you help me out here?
– ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE–

Metaphor:
– ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE–
98
Part B: Use imagery to describe the following.
1. A body of water
2. A house
Answers
Part A
1. He has a quiet manner.
Simile: He is as quiet as a whisper. (As quiet as a mouse is a cliché.)
Metaphor: He is a whisper.
2. She was very angry.
Simile: She was as angry as a tornado.
Metaphor: She was a tornado.
Part B
1. A body of water
The gentle lapping of the waves lulled me to sleep by the lake.
2. A house
The door to the gray house on the hill slammed shut in the wind, the sound echoing throughout the empty
rooms.
C
ONSISTENCY IN STYLE AND TONE
Appropriate and consistent tone is another element of effective writing that will be tested on the ACT Eng-
lish Test. You may be asked to determine whether the writer’s tone is appropriate for his or her audience and
purpose and to identify whether the writer has shifted tone in the passage.
Tone is the mood or attitude conveyed by words or speech. Think, for example, of all the different ways to
say sure or hello. It’s how you say the word that conveys so much of its meaning.
When you listen to others, it’s usually pretty easy to hear the tone of their voice. But how do you “hear”
tone in writing? How can you tell how the words should sound? Say you come across the word sure as you
are reading. How do you know whether to whisper it or shout it?

2. Where the devil is my pizza?!
f. gloomy
g. disrespectful
h. demanding
3. Alright already, your pizza’s coming!
a. rude
b. bold
c. annoyed
4. Just a moment, please. Your pizza will be ready shortly.
f. respectful
g. timid
h. anxious
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100
5. Don’t push the yellow button. If you do, the system will shut down.
a. bossy
b. matter-of-fact
c. ironic
6. Don’t you dare even go near that yellow button!
f. threatening
g. sad
h. demanding
Answers
1. b.
2. h.
3. c.
4. f.
5. b.
6. f.
VARIETY IN SENTENCE STRUCTURE AND RHETORICAL TECHNIQUES FOR EMPHASIS

Rewrite the following paragraph to create more variety in sentence structure.
The coast of the State of Maine is one of the most irregular in the world. Draw a straight
line from the southernmost city in Maine, Kittery, to the northernmost coastal city, Eastport.
This line would measure about 225 miles. Follow the coastline between the same two cities.
The distance is more than ten times as far. This irregularity is the result of what is called a
drowned coastline. The term comes from the glacial activity of the ice age. The glacier
descended. It expended enormous force on those mountains. The mountains sank into
the sea.
Answer
Answers will vary. Here’s one possibility:
The coast of the State of Maine is one of the most irregular in the world. If you draw a
straight line from Kittery, the southernmost city in Maine, to Eastport, the northernmost
coastal city, the line would measure about 225 miles. Follow the coastline between the same
two cities, however, and the distance is more than ten times as far. This irregularity is the
result of what is called a drowned coastline, a term that comes from the glacial activity of the
ice age. When the glacier descended, it expended enormous force on those mountains, and
the mountains sank into the sea.
– ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE–
102
AVOIDING AMBIGUITY, WORDINESS, AND REDUNDANCY
An ambiguous word or phrase is one that has two or more possible meanings. Take a look at this sentence,
for example:
That’s a big book.
This sentence can be read in two ways: that the book has many pages, or that the cover is large. You can
eliminate this ambiguity by revising the sentence in one of the following ways:
That book has many pages.
That book’s cover is large.
Another type of ambiguity happens when a phrase is in the wrong place in a sentence (see page 42 for
more information on modifier placement). For example, look at the following sentence:
He was standing next to the car on the corner.

ter. Unnecessary words often waste time and cloud meaning. Sentences that don’t have any words to waste
are clear and have impact.
Wordiness and redundancy typically result from three different causes:
■
The use of unnecessary words or phrases.
Redundant: Turn left at the g
reen colored house.
Correct: Turn left at the g
reen house.
■
Unnecessary repetition of nouns or pronouns.
Redundant: R
iva she couldn’t believe her ears.
Correct: R
iva couldn’t believe her ears.
■
The use of wordy phrases instead of adverbs.
Wordy : She spoke in a v
ery convincing manner.
Concise: She spoke v
ery convincingly.
Wordy : He had a car that w
as old and rusty
.
Concise: He had an o
ld, rusty car.
– ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE–
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Practice 19
Rewrite the following sentences to correct any ambiguity, wordiness, or redundancy.

Directions
Now you have the opportunity to pull together all that you have reviewed and apply it to 80 practice ACT Eng-
lish Test questions. On the following pages, you will find eight passages with questions just like those you will
see on the ACT. Read each passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. When you are taking the
official ACT, make sure you carefully fill in the appropriate bubble on the answer document.
Bicycles
(1)Today, bicycles are so common that it’s hard to believe they haven’t always been around. (2)But two
hundred years ago, , and the first bicycle, invented in Germany in 1818, was
nothing like our bicycles today—it was made of wood and didn’t even have pedals. (3)Since then, however,
numerous innovations and improvements in design have made the bicycle one of the most popular means
of recreation and transportation around the world.
(4)In 1839, Kirkpatrick dramatically improved upon the original bicycle
design. (5)Macmillan’s machine had tires with iron rims to keep them from getting worn down. (6)He also
used foot-operated cranks similar to pedals so his bicycle (7)It
much like a modern bicycle, though,
because its back wheel was substantially larger than its front wheel. (8)In 1861, the French Michaux broth-
ers took the evolution of the bicycle a step further by inventing an improved crank mechanism.
(9)Ten years later, James Starley, an English inventor, revolutionized bicycle design. (10) the
front wheel many times larger than the back wheel, the pedals to
make the bicycle more efficient, and lightened the wheels by using wire spokes. (11)Although this bicycle
was much lighter and less tiring to ride, it was still clumsy, extremely top-heavy, and ridden mostly for
entertainment.
putting a gear on
ᎏᎏ
He, made
ᎏᎏ
hadn’t looked
ᎏᎏ
could be ridden at a quick pace.
ᎏᎏᎏᎏ

d. He; made
6. f. NO CHANGE
g. putted a gear on
h. put a gear in
j. put a gear on
H. J. Lawson, invented by another Englishman,
ᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏ
Today there built
ᎏᎏ
– ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE–
107
7. a. NO CHANGE
b. Today there are built
c. Today they, are built
d. Today, they are built
8. f. NO CHANGE
g. H. J. Lawson invented by another Englishman
h. Invented by another Englishman, H.J. Lawson,
j. Another Englishman inventor, H. J. Lawson,
9. If the writer were trying to convince readers to buy a bicycle, he would:
a. NO CHANGE
b. Add a paragraph describing the health and environmental benefits of riding a bike.
c. Add a paragraph comparing the cost and quality of today’s best-selling bicycles.
d. Add a paragraph about the Tour de France and other bicycle races.
10. Which of the following sequences makes paragraph 4 most logical?
f. NO CHANGE
g. 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 15
h. 12, 17, 14, 15, 16, 13
j. 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 13
Industrial Revolution

that is:
a. more dramatic
b. more concise
c. more complex
d. more accurate
12. f. NO CHANGE
g. a public education system
h. systematizing education
j. public education
13. The most logical sequence for paragraph 2 is:
a. NO CHANGE
b. 2, 1, 3
c. 3, 2, 1
d. 3, 1, 2
14. f. NO CHANGE
g. was quickly spreading
h. spread with great rapidity
j. spread fast
due to
ᎏ
that became the driving force behind
ᎏᎏᎏᎏ
place included
ᎏᎏ
– ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE–
109
15. a. NO CHANGE
b. from the middle of the century eighteen
c. from the mid-1700s
d. beginning in the middle of the 1700s, around 1750,

climb steep cliffs of ice
and rock.
Peck was born in the United States in 1850. Although she didn’t start mountain climbing until she was in
her soon became clear that she had found her life’s work. A natural mountaineer, Peck was
soon setting records on expeditions in North America and Europe. She traveled to Bolivia in 1903 and
found Mount Huascaran, which had yet to be surmounted, .
(1)Peck mounted four expeditions and made five attempts before she finally conquered Mt. Huascaran.
(2)Between those expeditions, Peck returned to the United States to raise money. (3)She received help
from many scientific organizations, including the Museum of Natural History. (4)The Museum had also
supported Admiral Peary on his trip to the North Pole. (5)Still, Peck struggled at least as much to raise
money as she did her beloved mountains.
In 1908, Peck scraped together the funds for yet another expedition to Mt. Huascaran. This time, she hired
two Swiss guides her with the climb. On their first trip up the mountain’s slopes, one of the
guides became ill, and the entire team was forced to turn back even though they were very close to the top.
Being so close to success was very frustrating for Peck, who could not even prove how close they had come
because she had accidentally brought the wrong kind of film and was unable to photograph the climb.
to assist
ᎏ
climbing
ᎏ
a challenge she simply could not resist
ᎏᎏᎏᎏ
thirties, it
ᎏᎏ
expeditions—deal with reluctant companions—survive bad weather, and
ᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏ
Since a hundred years
ᎏᎏᎏ
– ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE–
111

What a jerk!
ᎏᎏ
cut
ᎏ
– ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE–
112
26. f. NO CHANGE
g. assisting
h. would assist
j. who had assisted
27. a. NO CHANGE
b. hacked
c. put
d. done
28. f. NO CHANGE
g. What, a jerk!
h. He was such a jerk.
j. OMIT the underlined passage.
29. a. NO CHANGE
b. angry; she
c. angry—she
d. angry. She
30. In revising paragraph 3, the writer would be wise to:
f. switch sentences 2 and 3
g. eliminate sentence 4
h. combine sentences 3 and 4
j. explain why Peck’s previous attempts to climb Mt. Huarascan had failed
The Gateway Arch
The skyline of St. Louis, Missouri, is fairly unremarkable, with one huge Gateway Arch that
stands on the banks of the Mississippi. Part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the Arch is

h. an amazing structure
j. OMIT the underlined portion
33. a. NO CHANGE
b. began (in 1961)
c. had begun in 1961
d. began in 1961
34. f. NO CHANGE
g. should celebrate
h. did celebrate
j. would have celebrated
stainless steel coating
ᎏᎏᎏ
Covered from top to bottom with a sleek
ᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏ
and on its own way
ᎏᎏ
that
ᎏ
imposed buildings
ᎏᎏ
would celebrate
ᎏᎏ
– ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE–
114
35. a. NO CHANGE
b. imposing buildings
c. buildings that imposed
d. buildings that are imposed
36. f. NO CHANGE
g. which

At the age of four, she was told she would never walk again.
But Wilma’s mother refused to give up. She found an African American medical college fifty miles away
that would give Wilma the care . Although it was difficult to make the trip, Mrs. Rudolph took
Wilma to the college twice a week. After two years of treatment, Wilma could walk with a brace. With her
family’s help, Wilma was able to walk normally without the aid of a crutch or brace by age twelve.
But simply walking wasn’t enough for an athlete. She decided to play basket-
ball, and for three years, she practiced with the team but didn’t play in a single game. Then, in her sopho-
more year of high school, Wilma became a starting guard. and led
her team to the state championship. At the age of sixteen, she traveled to Melbourne, Australia, to run
track events in the 1956 Olympics. She earned a bronze medal as part of a relay team.
, Wilma was awarded a full scholarship to Tennessee State
University, and her track career went into high gear. Before she earned her degree in education, she took a
year off from her studies to compete all over the world. In 1960, Wilma’s career as a runner reached its
apex. She set a world record in the 200-meter race at the Olympic , at the Olympics in Rome, she
won the 100-meters, the 200-meters, and ran the anchor leg on the winning 4×100-meter relay team.
Wilma was proudest of a different kind of victory, . When she returned from her triumphs
in Rome, she insisted that the homecoming parade held in her honor not be a segregated event. This
in conclusion
ᎏᎏ
trials
ᎏ
After the high school from which she graduated
ᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏ
For scoring she broke the state records
ᎏᎏᎏᎏ
Wilma, who wanted to be
ᎏᎏᎏ
she needs
ᎏᎏ
Tennessee. Weighing

b. however
c. as a result
d. therefore
changed
ᎏ
– ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE–
117
48. f. NO CHANGE
g. made illegal
h. struck down
j. removed
49. While revising, the writer realizes the passage needs an introduction to convey the main idea of the
essay. Which of the following sentences should he use as the first sentence to best achieve that pur-
pose?
a. No one would have guessed that Wilma Rudolph, a crippled child, would someday become an
Olympic track star.
b. Wilma Rudolph owes a great deal to her family, who helped her survive several severe illnesses.
c. Wilma Rudolph was a famous Olympic athlete who had a lot of health problems as a child.
d. Wilma Rudolph suffered from diseases that few children contract today.
50. The writer wishes to add the following sentence to highlight how impressive Rudolph’s achievements
are:
She was the first American woman ever to win three gold medals at a single Olympics.
The most logical place to insert this sentence would be:
f. After the new introductory sentence.
g. At the end of paragraph 3.
h. At the end of paragraph 4.
j. At the beginning of paragraph 5.
Science Fiction
One of the most famous novels of all time, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, marked not only the highpoint of
a young woman’s literary also the beginning of a brand new genre of

d. career, and
52. f. NO CHANGE
g. literature: science fiction
h. literature, that was, science fiction
j. literature (science fiction)
53. a. NO CHANGE
b. are attacked by Martians.
c. faced attacks from Martians.
d. being attacked by Martians.
are unable to handle
ᎏᎏᎏ
they’re
ᎏ
is against
ᎏ
masses churned out science fiction stories
ᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏ
magazines that for the
ᎏᎏᎏ
Wells; like Shelley,
ᎏᎏ
having been attacked by Martians
ᎏᎏᎏᎏ
– ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE–
119
54. f. NO CHANGE
g. Wells like Shelley,
h. Wells who was like Shelley
j. Wells, like Shelley,
55. a. NO CHANGE

Sigmund Freud
The psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) is largely responsible for the
way we understand conflicting “selves” and desires. Freud posited the notion
that the mind is teeming with “psychic energy,” and that our personality is shaped largely by the interac-
tions of the levels of the mind. Among Freud’s most important contributions to modern psychology and
the contemporary understanding of the self is his theory of the unconscious.
(1)According to Freud, the mind is much like an iceberg. (2)Most of our mind’s activities, then, occur
beneath the surface, in the unconscious and beyond our knowing. (3)The conscious is the part of the mind
of which we are aware; it is the tip of the iceberg that is visible above the water. (4)The unconscious,
, is all that is below the surface—the thoughts, feelings, and desires that we are not
aware of but that nonetheless affect our behavior.
Freud believed that the unconscious is deterministic. That is, our behaviors are caused (determined) by
thoughts and impulses deep in our unconscious—
Unless we psychoanalyze ourselves, we may
never be aware of the hidden reasons for our actions. This suggests that the notion of free will
an illusion and that our choices are governed by hidden mental processes over which we
have no control.
Repression is the act of pushing our conflicts to the we are no longer aware of them.
It is our chief defense mechanism (a way to avoid conflict between our true desires and our sense of right
and wrong). Freud believed that too much repression can lead to neurosis, a mental disorder resulting in
depression or abnormal behavior, sometimes with physical symptoms but with no evidence of disease.
unconscious. So that
ᎏᎏᎏ
might have been
ᎏᎏ
This is related to the phenomenon called “Freudian slip.”
ᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏ
of which thoughts and impulses we are not aware.
ᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏ
on the other hand