
Overview: About the ACT English Test
As a college student, you will do a great deal of writing. From essays to research papers to lab reports, you will
have writing assignments in nearly all of your classes, and in many courses, most—perhaps even all—of your
grade will be based upon your written work.
Because writing skills are so essential to your academic success, the ACT English Test aims to gauge your
knowledge of writing rules and strategies. Your score on this section of the exam provides colleges and uni-
versities with a measure of how well you communicate in writing.
On the ACT English Test, you will have 45 minutes to read five prose passages and answer 75 multiple-
choice questions. These questions test two types of English skills: your understanding of the conventions of
standard written English (“Usage and Mechanics”) and your knowledge of rhetorical strategies and tech-
niques (“Rhetorical Skills”). The 40 questions about usage and mechanics cover punctuation (13%), gram-
mar and usage (16%), and sentence structure (24%). The 35 questions about rhetorical skills address general
writing strategies (16%), organizational techniques (15%), and style (16%).
CHAPTER
ACT English
Test Practice
3
31

Pretest
To make the most of this book, take the following pretest before you begin the English review in this section.
The passage and questions are the same type you will find on the ACT. When you are finished, check the
answer key on page 34 to assess your results. Your pretest score will help you determine in which areas you
need the most careful review and practice.
Batman
Pow! Bam! Zap! Batman triumphs again, foiling evil-doers like the Joker, Penguin, and Catwoman to save the
citizens of Gotham City. This to be one of the
most popular comic strip characters ever created.
Batman was the brainchild of comic book artist Bob just 22 years old when he was asked
to create a new superhero for DC Comics. Superman was a phenomenal success, and DC Comics wanted

ᎏᎏ
3
Kane. Who was
ᎏᎏ
2
superhero created in 1939 and known world wide, continues
ᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏ
1
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1. a. NO CHANGE
b. superhero, created in 1939, and known world wide continues
c. superhero, created in 1939 and known world wide, continues
d. superhero; created in 1939, and know world wide continues
2. f. NO CHANGE
g. Kane; who was
h. Kane, who was
j. Kane, being
3. a. NO CHANGE
b. with bat, like wings
c. with bat like wings
d. with wings that are like a bat’s
4. f. NO CHANGE
g. was a really successful character whom everyone liked a lot
h. was liked a lot by a lot of people
j. was an overwhelming success
5. a. NO CHANGE
b. bring criminals to justice

h. after the second sentence in paragraph 3.
j. at the end of paragraph 3.

Pretest Answers and Explanations
1. b. The phrase created in 1939 is relevant but not essential information and should be set off by
commas.
2. h. The phrase who was just 22 years old must be connected to an independent clause; it is not a com-
plete sentence. A period here makes the sentence a fragment. Semicolons can only go between two
independent clauses (two complete thoughts).
3. a. Bat and like work together to form one modifier, so they should be connected by a hyphen. This is
also the most concise choice.
4. j. Overwhelming is a more powerful and precise word than big. This version is also more concise than
versions g and h.
5. b. This version gives the sentence parallel structure and is the most logical word order.
6. j. This answer gives the sentence consistent verb tense (all verbs in the simple past tense).
7. a. This is the most appropriate transition.
8. g. This version gives the sentence parallel structure and consistent verb tense.
9. c. The introduction uses a comic book convention to make a connection between topic and structure.
The tone is light-hearted, but not silly. The introduction does demonstrate the effect of onomatopoeia
and exclamation points, but it has a more meaningful purpose. It is not intended to show that there is
a lot of fighting in a typical Batman episode, as this is not a theme of the essay.
10. g. In this spot the sentence follows the general statement that Batman was a success; since the sentence
provides a reason why the show was successful, this is a logical place to insert it.
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
Lessons and Practice Questions
As we noted in the overview, there are two main types of multiple-choice questions on the ACT English Test:


Usage/Mechanics
Usage and mechanics questions make up just over half (53%) of your ACT English Test score, and at least 40
of the 75 questions on the exam will fall into this category. To help you do well and feel comfortable during
the exam, this section reviews the main punctuation marks and how to use them, basic rules of grammar and
usage, and guidelines for effective sentence structure. We will begin with sentence structure, because an under-
standing of the basics of sentence construction will make it easier to review punctuation and grammar rules.
Sentence Structure
Sentence structure refers to the way we compose sentences: how we string subjects, verbs, objects, and mod-
ifiers together in clauses and phrases. Awkward or incorrect placement of phrases and clauses can create con-
fusing or unclear sentences that say things you don’t mean. Sentence structure is also important to style. If
sentence structure is too simple or repetitive, the writing becomes monotonous for the reader. Sentence vari-
ety is an important issue that will be addressed in the rhetorical skills review.
S
UBJECTS
, P
REDICATES
,
AND
O
BJECTS
When we write, we express our ideas in sentences. But what is a sentence, anyway?
A sentence is the basic unit of written expression in English. It consists of two essential parts—a subject
and a predicate—and it must express a complete thought. The subject of a sentence tells us who or what the
sentence is about—who or what is performing the action of the sentence. The predicate tells us something
about the subject—what the subject is or does. Thus, in the following sentence:
The wind is howling.
The word wind is the subject. It tells us what the sentence is about—who or what performs the action
of the sentence. The verb phrase is howling is the predicate. It describes the action that is being performed by
the subject.

action of being asked.)
The guest / gave the host a g
ift. (The host receives the gift; the gift receives the action of being
given.)
Practice 1
For each of the following sentences:
A. Put a slash (“/”) between the subject and the predicate.
B. Identify whether the subject is singular or compound.
C. Identify whether the predicate is singular or compound.
D. Underline any direct objects.
E. Circle any indirect objects.
1. Lukas painted a picture.
2. The zookeeper gave the sealions their dinner.
3. Magdalena studied hard and passed the exam easily.
4. Elliott and Evan have been best friends since grade school.
Answers
1. a. Lukas / painted a pic
ture.
b. Singular subject.
c. Singular predicate.
d. pic
ture
e. No indirect objects.
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2. a. The zookeeper / gave the sealions their dinner.
b. Singular subject.
c. Singular predicate.

What makes the dependent clause above dependent is the word because. Because is one of many subor-
dinating conjunctions like the following:
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SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
after before that when
although if though where
as, as if once unless wherever
because since until while
When a clause begins with a subordinating conjunction, it must be connected to an independent clause
to become a complete thought:
He was late because he forgot his keys.
independent clause dependent clause
I was so tired that I left the party.
independent clause dependent clause
A sentence with both a dependent clause (DC) and independent clause (IC) is called a complex sen-
tence. Both of the sentences above are complex sentences.
When two independent clauses are combined, the result is a compound sentence like the following:
He was late, so he lost the account.
The most common way to join two independent clauses is with a comma and a coordinating con-
junction: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet. Independent clauses can also be joined with a semi-colon if the ideas
in the sentences are closely related.
I am tall, and he is short. [IC, coordinating conjunction + IC]
I am tall; he is short. [IC; IC]
I was late, yet I still got the account. [IC, coordinating conjunction + IC]
P
HRASES AND
M

For the following sentences:
a. Place brackets “[ ]” around any dependent clauses.
b. Underline any prepositional phrases.
c. Circle any modifiers.
1. Since the research paper is due in just two weeks, I should finish my research over the weekend.
2. Xiu picked Maria up at her house and they drove to the beach in her brand new convertible.
3. After Sean put the entertainment center together, he realized that it wouldn’t fit through the door of
the TV room.
4. Jenine felt uncomfortable at the party even though she knew almost everyone.
5. High-rise window washing is one of the most dangerous jobs on Earth.
about
above
across
after
against
around
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
by
down
during
except
for

SPEECH FUNCTION EXAMPLES
noun names a person, place, thing, or concept water, Byron, telephone, Main Street, tub, virtue
pronoun takes the place of a noun so that the I, you, he, she, us, they, this, that, themselves,
noun does not have to be repeated somebody, who, which
verb describes an action, occurrence, or wait, seem, be, visit, renew
state of being
helping verb combines with other verbs (main verbs) forms of be, do, and have; can, could, may,
(also called to create verb phrases that help indicate might, must, shall, should, will, would
auxiliary verb) tenses
adjective describes nouns and pronouns; can also green, round, old, surprising; that (e.g., that
identify or quantify elephant); several (e.g., several elephants)
adverb describes verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, dreamily, quickly, always, very, then
or entire clauses
preposition expresses the relationship in time or space in, on, around, above, between, underneath,
between words in a sentence beside, with, upon (see list on page 40).
Parts of Speech
Answers
1. [Since the research paper is due in just two weeks], I should finish my research over the weekend.
2. Xiu picked Maria up at he
r house and they drove to the beach in her brand new convertible.
3. [After Sean put the entertainment center together], he realized that it wouldn’t fit thr
ough the door
of the TV room.
4. Jenine felt uncomfortable at the par
ty [even though she knew almost everyone].
5. High-rise window washing is one o
f the most dangerous jobs on Earth.
41
Sentence Structure for Clarity and Style
Two aspects of sentence structure can make the difference between clear, smooth sentences and sentences that

phrase. Here are more examples of misplaced and dangling modifiers and their corrections.
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Incorrect: Behind the curtain, my doctor told me to put on a gown.
Correct: My doctor told me to put on a gown behind the curtain.
Incorrect: Worn and tattered, Uncle Joe took down the flag.
Correct: Uncle Joe took down the flag, which was worn and tattered. OR
Uncle Joe took down the worn, tattered flag.
Incorrect: While making breakfast, the smoke alarm went off and woke the baby.
Correct: While I was making breakfast, the smoke alarm went off and woke the baby. OR
The smoke alarm went off and woke the baby while I was making breakfast.
P
ARALLEL
S
TRUCTURE
Parallel structure means that words and phrases in the sentence follow the same grammatical pattern. This
makes ideas easier to follow and expresses ideas more gracefully. Notice how parallelism works in the fol-
lowing examples:
Not parallel: For weeks, she fretted, worried, and was feeling anxiety.
(Two verbs are in the past tense, one is a past participle.)
Parallel: For weeks, she fr
ette
d
, w
orrie
d, and f
elt anxious.
(All three verbs are in the past tense.)

j. After he quit politics, he told reporters he’d lost the election.
3. Sleeping soundly, I tiptoed through the baby’s room.
a. NO CHANGE
b. I was sleeping soundly as I tiptoed through the baby’s room.
c. I tiptoed through the baby’s room sleeping soundly.
d. While the baby slept soundly, I tiptoed through the room.
4. Please be sure to throw out your trash, place your silverware in the bin, and your tray should go on the
counter.
f. NO CHANGE
g. Please be sure to throw out your trash, your silverware should go in the bin, and put your tray on
the counter.
h. Please be sure to throw out your trash and silverware in the bin and tray on the counter.
j. Please be sure to throw out your trash, place your silverware in the bin, and put your tray on the
counter.
5. I am an experienced babysitter, housecleaner, and cook.
a. NO CHANGE
b. I am experienced at babysitting, cleaning houses, and a cook.
c. I am an experienced babysitter, making houses clean, and cooking.
d. I am an experienced babysitter, housecleaner, and a good cook.
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Answers
1. c is the best choice. The subject I is right next to the modifier while waiting for the bus, and wet bench is
the most concise phrase.
2. g is the best choice. It most logically and clearly conveys the intended meaning.
3. d is the best choice. The subject baby needs to be inserted next to the verb form of sleep to make it
clear who was sleeping soundly.
4. j is the best choice. Here the sentence maintains parallel structure (verb + object + prepositional

on top of opposite of prior to
proud of regard to related to
rely on/upon respect for responsible for
satisfied with similar to sorry for
suspicious of take care of thank (someone) for (something)
tired of with regard to
Practice 4
Answer the questions below.
1. I am having difficulty c
oncentrating in this assignment.
a. NO CHANGE
b. concentrating with
c. concentrating on
d. concentrating through
2. I am very sat
isfied about how things turned out.
f. NO CHANGE
g. satisfied with
h. satisfied by
j. satisfied of
3. When I g
lanced at my gas gauge, I realized it was on “empty.”
a. NO CHANGE
b. glanced on
c. glanced in
d. glanced through
4. She has great kno
wledge about the eighteenth century.
f. NO CHANGE
g. knowledge in

express a variety of tones and emotions. For example, take a look at these two versions of the same sentence:
Wait—I’m coming with you!
Wait, I’m coming with you.
The first sentence clearly expresses more urgency and excitement thanks to the dash and exclamation
point. The second sentence, with its comma and period, does not express emotion; the sentence is neutral.
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P
UNCTUATION
G
UIDELINES
There are many rules for punctuation, and the better you know them, the more correctly and effectively you
can punctuate your sentences. The table below lists the main punctuation marks and guidelines for when to
use them:
IF YOUR
PURPOSE
IS TO: USE THIS PUNCTUATION: EXAMPLE:
End a sentence. period [.] This sentence ends in a period.
Connect complete semicolon [;] A semi-colon can connect two sentences;
sentences (two it is an excellent way to show that two
independent ideas are related.
clauses).
comma [,] and a conjunction I want pizza, but he wants steak.
[and, or, nor, for, so, but, yet]
dash [—] (less common, I told you he’d be here—here he is!
but more dramatic)
Connect items comma [,] but if one or more items The table was overturned, the mattress
in a list. in that list already has a comma, was torn apart, and the dresser drawers

Indicate a question mark [?] Why are so many people fascinated by
question. Star Trek?
Connect two words hyphen [-] brother-in-law, well-known author
that work together
as one object or
modifier.
Separate a word dash [—] I never lie—never.
or phrase
for emphasis.
Separate a word commas [,] The group, led by Max, made its way
or phrase that is through the forest.
relevant but not
essential information.
That restaurant, I heard, is going out of
business.
Separate a word parentheses [( )] There is an exception to every rule
or phrase that is (including this one).
relevant but secon-
dary information.
Show possession apostrophe [’] That’s Jane’s car.
or contraction.
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Practice 5
Choose the correctly punctuated version of each sentence below.
1. Where are you going in such a hurry.
a. NO CHANGE
b. Where are you going, in such a hurry.

50
7. That deep-fried dessert is very fattening.
a. NO CHANGE
b. That deep, fried dessert is very fattening.
c. That deep fried dessert; is very fattening.
d. That deep fried-dessert is very fattening.
8. She is a high priced consultant.
f. NO CHANGE
g. She is a high, priced consultant.
h. She is a high priced, consultant.
j. She is a high-priced consultant.
9. His kids: who are just the same ages as mine are 2 4 and 6 years old.
a. NO CHANGE
b. His kids, who are just the same ages as mine, are 2, 4, and 6 years old.
c. His kids, who are just the same ages as mine: are 2, 4, and 6 years old.
d. His kids who are just the same ages as mine are 2, 4, and 6 years old.
10. As the saying goes better late than never.
f. NO CHANGE
g. As the saying goes; better late than never.
h. As the saying goes, “better late than never.”
j. “As the saying goes,” better late than never.
Answers
1. c.
2. g.
3. c.
4. f.
5. b.
6. h.
7. a.
8. j.

Sea horses, for example, are unusual in that the males carry the eggs.
4. Between two modifiers that could be replaced by and.
The cheetah is a fast, dangerous animal.
(Both fast and dangerous modify animal.)
The slow, steady rocking of the train put the baby to sleep.
(Both slow and steady modify rocking.)
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Incorrect: Denny’s old, stamp collection is priceless.
Correct: Denny’s old stamp collection is priceless.
(You cannot put “and” between old and stamp; old describes stamp and stamp modifies collec-
tion. They do not modify the same noun.)
5. To set off information that is relevant but not essential (non-restrictive).
Essential, not set off:
The woman who w
rote
Happ
y Moon
won an award.
(We need this information to know which woman we’re talking about.)
Non-essential, set off by commas:
The children, exhausted by the trip, went to bed early.
(The fact that they were exhausted by the trip is not essential to the sentence.)
Essential, not set off:
People who smoke too much may get cancer.
Non-essential, set off by commas:
Many people, such as those who smoke, are at a high risk for cancer.
6. To separate items in a series.

commas in the sentences below.
1. Ken Kesey wrote, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which is now a classic.
2. Did you know, that Bob Dylan’s real name, is Bob Zimmerman?
3. I usually run, before I eat breakfast, if possible.
4. The roses are blooming, in the yard, again.
5. I went back-to-school shopping and got, notebooks, paper, and blank disks, for us.
6. The man, who called you yesterday, is on the phone again.
7. John, please give me the money, that you owe me, by Friday.
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8. I said, “Put your money where your mouth is.”
9. Give me, that disk, please.
10. Charles, ate the whole pizza himself!
Answers
Part A
1. He said, “There’s nothing else to say.”
2. I want to change majors, but I need to get my advisor’s approval first.
3. Did you notice, by the way, that she didn’t even say hello?
4. What did you say, Louise?
5. There’s one thing, however, that I forgot to mention.
6. I think he went to Woodson, which is a Montessori school, last year.
7. The Constitution gives us the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
8. On July 1, 1981, I met the woman who would become my wife.
9. We met in Toledo, Ohio, where she was born.